Boardwalk Empire: The Birth, High Times, and Corruption of Atlantic City
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122 “Nucky sure knew how to throw a party.” Interview with Mary Ill.
Chapter 7: Hap
When I began my research, I perceived Hap Farley as a corrupt political boss who had contributed to the fall of Atlantic City. I quickly learned that my uninformed assessment of Farley’s career was naïve and that he could not be dismissed so easily. Frank Farley was a complicated person. There is no doubt he was deeply involved in the workings of a corrupt organization. He couldn’t have become and remained the boss any other way. But Hap was also a skillful legislator, tireless public servant always looking to improve his community, and a loyal friend. In many ways, he was a role model for an aspiring politician. Any attempt to measure him outside of the system in which he worked yields an incomplete portrait.
The transfer of power from Nucky Johnson to Frank Farley is a complex story involving many players. It required many interviews and follow-up discussions, after learning another piece to the puzzle, in order to confirm important details and pull together the entire story. In writing this portion of Chapter 7, I relied on the differing perspectives of both players and observers as told to me by Richard Jackson, Murray Fredericks, Frank Ferry, Robert Gasko, Bill Ross, Skinny D’Amato, Mary Ill, Florence Miller, Lori Mooney, Harold Finkle, and Patrick McGahn. I believe I’ve told the complete story.
126 “What can I say? He liked boys, young boys.” Interview with Paul “Skinny” D’Amato. Skinny D’Amato was an Atlantic City original. He was proud to have been a protégé of Nucky’s and had fond recollections of him. My interview of Skinny took place in his bedroom, in late afternoon, with him still in pajamas. He was in poor health at the time, and I have his nephew Paul D’Amato to thank for arranging the meeting.
126 “What you had was a solid organization man.” Interview with Murray Fredericks, Esquire.
127 “If your uncle got locked up for being drunk … the ward leader would make sure he wasn’t convicted.” Interview with Richard Jackson.
127 “Here, take care of these.” Interview with Richard Jackson.
127 Taggart thought “everything was up for grabs …” Interview with Paul “Skinny” D’Amato.
130 “… Despite his politics, Hap thought that Nixon crowd were fools.” Interview with the Honorable John Sirica. During my research, I learned that Farley and Judge Sirica had graduated from Georgetown Law School the same year. I wrote to him and asked if he recalled Hap. Much to my pleasant surprise I learned they had maintained their relationship over the years via telephone.I interviewed Judge Sirica by phone. He loved talking about Farley and recalled what a great athlete Hap was. The judge laughed frequently, reminiscing about their many conversations over the years. Judge Sirica was the classic raconteur. He had an idiosyncratic figure of speech that he used frequently and which you wouldn’t expect to hear from such a learned person, “don’t cha see?” that was both disarming and endearing. Talking to him over the telephone was a treat. I can only imagine what it would have been like to have him over for dinner.
130 “Whatever you do, do it thoroughly or don’t touch it.” This quote is from “A Conversation with a Politician,” an interview of Hap Farley by Robert Hughey and Chick Yaeger. The interview was conducted several years before Farley’s death and is an excellent piece of oral history. It’s on videotape and is on file at the Library of Stockton State College. Anyone interested in Farley’s career should view it.
130 “Hap was one of those kind, when you’re gonna do something, you’re gonna do that and nothing else.” Interview with Murray Fredericks, Esquire. Dick Jackson and many others confirmed that from the moment you encountered Hap there was no mistaking his seriousness of purpose when it came to Atlantic City politics. There was nothing casual about a political alliance with Hap Farley. He wasn’t forgiving. If you betrayed him ever, or disappointed him one time too many, the alliance was over permanently.
131 “Hap’s people were poor, and the Feyls always thought their daughter was too good for him.” Interview with Mary Ill. I have Bill Ross to thank for introducing me to Mrs. Ill. She was a delightful person and a wealth of information, not just about Farley but about Johnson and Kuehnle as well. Mary grew up with Hap and taught him how to dance. She met him in Philadelphia on weekends while he was a student at the University of Pennsylvania. They went to dance halls that charged a “dime a dance” to be on the floor. When they were teenagers, at his prompting, she passed love letters between Hap and Honey during their early courtship.
131 “Honey was an alcoholic for as long as I knew her … It was like that most nights.” Interview with Joseph Hamilton, confirmed by Mary Ill and others.
133 “He was as smooth a glad-hander as ever lived …” Interview with Richard Jackson.
135 “Ripper Resolutions.”Atlantic City Press, May 22, 1942.
135 Farley’s representation of George Goodman was a skillful move in his efforts to succeed Nucky. I learned about it from Patrick McGahn, Esquire, and it was confirmed by Murray Fredericks, Esquire.
136 The discussion of Farley’s career as a legislator in Trenton is in substantial part the product of an interview with his colleague, Senator Wayne Dumont of Phillipsburg, Warren County. Senator Dumont was a gentleman from the old school. His bond with Farley was strong one, forged over many years of working together as legislators. He credited Farley with arranging to have Richard Nixon appear in New Jersey when the Senator ran, unsuccessfully, for governor. I met with Senator Dumont in his law office, and we had lunch together. He took his dog with him everywhere, including lunch. At one point in the interview he became tearful when reminiscing about his personal fondness for Hap Farley.
140 “Hap’s agenda was always first.” Interview with Senator Wayne Dumont.
145 Kefauver’s Committee produced … Final Report of the Special Committee to Investigate Organized Crime in Interstate Commerce, pursuant to S. Res. 202 (81st Congress) August 31, 1951.
147 “Farley could never cultivate the Blacks the way Johnson had.” Interview with Richard Jackson.
148 The several quotes concerning Jimmy Boyd’s role in Farley’s organization are based on an interview with Richard Jackson, confirmed by Bill Ross and Murray Fredericks, Esquire.
151 “It was a strict system … you’d have to wait until there was.” Interview with Richard Jackson.
151 The system guaranteed that “if you were going to move up …” Interview with Richard Jackson.
151 The story of Richard Jackson’s career is based on interviews with him. In hindsight, I now realize he should have been interviewed on videotape, as Hughey and Yaeger did with Farley. It would have been a valuable piece of oral history. I consider it a privilege and an honor to have known him.
Chapter 8: The Painful Ride Down
155 The incident regarding the photo of the dog—without Farley—was told to me by Frank Ferry, Esquire. Hap and Ferry were very close, comparable to father and son. He smiled sardonically as he told the story. There was no mistaking that Frank Ferry felt Hap had been treated badly in his final years.
157 Today, aside from the conventioneers …Time magazine. August 31, 1964.
160 Hotel services broke down … Theodore H. White, The Making of the President, 1964, (Antheneum Publishers, 1965) at p. 290. As noted by White, more than 5,000 newspersons descended on Atlantic City in August 1964 for the Democratic National Convention. Instead of a marker on the road back, the Convention was a public relations disaster. The reports published and broadcast throughout the nation destroyed what was left of Atlantic City’s aura and revealed it for the beat town it was.
160 Never had a town … T. H. White, Ibid., p. 291.
161 Of Atlantic City it may be written: Better it shouldn’t have happened … T. H. White, Ibid., p. 289.
163 Baker vs. Carr, 369 U.S. 186, (1962) was followed by a second U.S. Supreme decision, Reynolds vs. Sims, 377 U.S. 533, (1964). These two decisions dictated the ruling that Haneman and his colleagues on the New Jersey Supreme Court
had to make on legislative districting in New Jersey.
163 “There comes a time in the career of practically every judge … Justice Vincent Haneman in his separate opinion in the decision of Jackman vs. Bodine, 43 N.J. 453, 205, A. 2d. 713 (1964). Justice Haneman’s opinion is a lesson in the history of New Jersey’s bicameral legislature. Haneman eloquently traced New Jersey’s history from colonial days when the province was divided into East and West Jersey. He explains that New Jersey had always had an upper and lower house in its legislature with representation in the senate being “based upon territory as distinguished from population.” Each time the State Constitution was revised, this practice was preserved. Justice Haneman’s concurring opinion is really an “unanswerable dissent.” Despite the persuasiveness of Haneman’s opinion, my hunch is his real audience wasn’t his brethren on the Court or the legal community but rather his old friend, Hap Farley. The opinion is a tribute from one old warrior to another.
165 “Farley was scared to death of Marvin.” Interview with Patrick McGahn, Esquire.
167 “If they want to pay …Atlantic City Press, August 9, 1968.
170 “… in need of more enlightened leadership …”Atlantic City Press, November 13, 1970.
171 Hap Farley was “very pleasant” … Interview with Patrick McGahn, Esquire.
172 The story of Farley’s defeat in the ’71 election is based upon interviews and conversations with Richard Jackson, William Ross, Robert Gasko, Murray Fredericks, Esquire, Frank Ferry, Esquire, Patrick McGahn, Esquire, Lori Mooney, Harold Finkle, Esquire, and others.
Chapter 9: Turn Out the Lights
175 The vignette of the prostitute is based upon an interview with Paul “Skinny” D’Amato.
177 “How could you get anyone … to share a bathroom?” Interview with Richard Jackson.
178 “It was our only hope … becoming a ghost town.” Interview with Mildred Fox.
180 “Governor Brendan Byrne has said he is receptive to a referendum … Public approval is regarded as certain.”Atlantic City Press, January 6, 1974.
181 “The state can expect to profit very little …”Atlantic City Press, December 19, 1973.
182 The governor suggested that gambling should be limited to Atlantic City. Interview with Steven Perskie.
183 “I am concerned that the very same interest …”Atlantic City Press, October 17, 1974.
184 “I am concerned with the future of Atlantic City …”Atlantic City Press, October 16, 1974.
184 The quote of the Vineland Times Journal is from “Another Public Conning” by Ben Leuchter, reprinted by the Atlantic City Press on May 23, 1974.
Chapter 10: A Second Bite at the Apple
187 I was personally acquainted with Lea Finkler. This was one of many incidents she related to him in her inimitable anger and disgust.
191 The challenge, when Weiner took it on … Jeffrey Douglas, “The Selling of Casino Gambling,” New Jersey Monthly, June, 1977.
193 “She said she’s made her last speech …”Atlantic City Press, July 13, 1976.
197 … real power in the corporation … Gigi Mahon, The Company That Bought the Boardwalk (Random House, 1980) p. 57.
198 Mary Carter Paint was in the gambling business. Gigi Mahon, Ibid., pp. 65–83.
204 The CBS-TV news editorial was broadcast on February 28, 1979.
Chapter 11: It’s a New Ballgame
207 “The little jerk is finally going to get what he deserves.” Patrick McGahn, Esquire. Pat McGahn nearly chortled whenever he spoke of “Mayor Mike” and his troubles with the law.
209 “Mike Matthews was a creep …” Interview with Ralph Palmieri.
209 “Michael loved the glitter …” Interview with Harold Finkle, Esquire.
211 The comments concerning Jerome Zarowitz and Alvin Malnik are taken from the Opening Statement of the Division of Gaming Enforcement (DGE) made at Caesar’s Licensing Hearing on September 9, 1980.
211 The statements regarding Clifford and Stuart Perlman were contained in the DGE’s Opening Statement of September 9, 1980, and were reported in a page 1 news article in the Atlantic City Press, September 19, 1980.
213 The findings of the Casino Control Commission were memorialized in its formal opinion denying licensure, NJCCC Docket #80-CL-1 In the Matter of the Application of Boardwalk Regency Corp. and the Jemm Company for Casino Licenses, opinion, p. 35, (“Accordingly, Clifford Perlman is not qualified.”).
214 The discussion of Bally’s licensure is contained in the DGE’s report to the CCC entitled, “Report to the Casino Control Commission with regard to the Application of Bally’s Park Place, Inc., a New Jersey corporation, for a Casino License and the Application of Bally Manufacturing Corporation, a Delaware corporation, for a Casino Service Industry License,” dated 8/4/80.
214 The comments regarding Gerardo Catena were taken from the DGE’s report of 8/4/80.
220 I must note … reporting to the chairman. Walter “Bud” Reed, Chairman of the CCC, quoted by the Press of Atlantic City, September 20, 1986.
Chapter 12: The Donald Comes to Town
225 Fred Trump was a master builder and genuine real estate mogul. While he had his critics, he was a critical player and positive force in meeting the housing needs of a growing New York City. Without Fred’s fortune, the Donald would have played in a different league. There’s been much written on both Trumps. My thumbnail sketch of Fred’s career is based on news accounts and Gwenda Blair’s book, The Trumps: Three Generations That Built an Empire (Simon and Schuster, New York, 2000), pp. 118–122,154.
226 Trump’s arrival in Atlantic City and his early moves as a local player were carefully observed and reported on by Daniel Heneghan, while a staff reporter with the Press of Atlantic City, prior to assuming his position of director of information for the Casino Control Commission. Dan is a wealth of information. I relied heavily on his knowledge and expertise.
235 The profile of Arthur Goldberg is based on my personal knowledge and a feature article, “King of Craps” in Barron’s, August 1999.
239 The statistics on Atlantic City’s success to date were confirmed by Daniel Heneghan relying on numbers compiled by the Casino Control Commission.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Nelson Johnson, whose family’s presence in Atlantic County predates the founding of Atlantic City, is a lifelong resident of Hammonton, New Jersey. He practiced law for 30 years and was active in Atlantic City and Atlantic County politics through much of that period.
As attorney for the Atlantic City Planning Board at the time of the approvals for many of the casinos, Johnson was inspired first to make sense of Atlantic City and later to write an objective political history. The interviews, research, and writing involved in preparing Boardwalk Empire span nearly two decades. Johnson is currently a Judge of the New Jersey Superior Court, sitting in the Civil Division of Atlantic County.
Johnson’s follow-up to Boardwalk Empire is The Northside: African Americans and the Creation of Atlantic City, coming in November 2010 from Plexus Publishing, Inc.
INDEX
A
Abbott, Bud
Absecon Boulevard
Absecon Island
early land purchases
Leeds settlement
original landscape
Pitney’s vision for
revival of
rising land values
Absecon Lighthouse
“Absegami”
Academy of the Sacred Heart
Ackerman, Harold
Adam and Eve group
Adonis, Joe
African-American community
artisans
Atlantic City wages
change in voting attitude
churches
domestic work and
Nucky Johnson and
home ownership
hospitality industry jobs
housing
infant mortality
Jackson’s popularity
&nbs
p; “Jim Crow” laws and
migration
percentage of population
Republican Party and
secret societies
social structures
tuberculosis rates
Usry’s election as mayor
airlines
airports
alcohol
Brooks Law
in casinos
Prohibition
Allen, Franklin
Allen, Levi
Altman, Joe
Anti-Saloon League
A. P. Miller, Inc.
Apollo Theatre
Applegate, John
Applegate’s pier
aquarium
Arctic Avenue
Arkansas Avenue
Atlantic Avenue
cows herded on
decline
economy
Northside boundary
strolling along
Atlantic City and Shore Company
Atlantic City Brewery
Atlantic City Hilton
Atlantic City Police Department
Atlantic City Press
Atlantic City Race Track
Atlantic City Review
Atlantic City School
Atlantic City Seven
Atlantic City Yacht Club
Atlantic County, origin of
Atlantic Plaza Hotel Casino
automobiles, impact of
B
Babette’s
Bacharach, Harry
Bader, Charles
Bader, Edward
Bahamas
Baird, David Jr.
Baker v. Carr
Baldwin Locomotive Works
ballrooms
Bally Entertainment, Inc.
Bally Manufacturing Corporation
Bally’s Park Place Casino Hotel
Baltic Avenue
Baptist churches
Barron’s