Johnny Jack Nounes

Johnny Jack Nounes, also known as the "Beau Brummell of Galveston", was a mob boss in Galveston, Texas, United States, during the 1920s and 1930s. He, with one-armed George Musey, led the Downtown Gang, one of the two gangs which controlled most of the Galveston Crime Syndicate until the early 1930s. They fought for control of the island against the rival Beach Gang led by Ollie Quinn and Dutch Voight, and later their successors, the Maceo Crime Syndicate. As the prohibition era began, his gang came to be one of the dominant forces in the Galveston Crime Syndicate. Galveston became the main port of entry for liquor supply in Texas and many parts of the Midwest. Nounes' flamboyance attracted the attention of federal authorities, leading to his conviction in 1924 and sentencing to Leavenworth Penitentiary. His prison term was short but only two years after being released he was again sentenced to prison after being caught with a shipment of liquor in Seabrook. Frank Nitti, a business partner of Nounes, was the "enforcer" for Al Capone's crime organization in Chicago as well as the future boss of the Chicago Outfit.

Family and early life Johnny Jack Nounes was born John Louis Nonus in Galveston, Texas, to Emanuel and Angelica (Pinto) Nonus, both immigrants from Portugal. They both immigrated to New Orleans, Louisiana in 1872, and later married in Galveston soon after meeting. The Nonus family had fifteen children but six died at infancy; the remaining nine were Mary, Lyda, Annie, Mellie, Lily, Beatrice, Mabel, Johnny, and Francis. In 1900, the 1900 Galveston hurricane hit the island. During this devastating storm, Emanuel managed to break a hole in the house's ceiling in order to get all the children to safety; Johnny was ten years old.

One of Johnny's earliest jobs was a butcher. He would save all of the meat scraps and, at the end of the day, would give them to his younger brother Francis so that Francis could take them home to their struggling family. Around 1914 Johnny changed his last name from "Nonus" to "Nounes", maybe because he got involved with some type of criminal activity didn't want to ruin his family name as well as releasing it to rivals. So that how his name was born, Johnny Jack Nounes.

Prohibition As the prohibition of alcohol started to take way in the early 1920s, Nounes rounded up his gang, known as the Downtown Gang, with soldiers and went to work rum-running. During this time a young Syrian named George Musey stepped into the picture. He became Nounes' right-hand man, running the Downtown Gang with him. Among the earliest gang members were Theodore "Fatty" Owens, Otis Skains, Mitchell "Mitch" Frankovitch, Kye Gregory, Morris "Kid" Ross, Joe Varnell, Lawrence "King Coal" Balkey, and Tom Lera. The gang was stronger than ever with Nounes and Musey leading. Their midnight travels through rum-row made them more money than ever, which Nounes soon became a millionaire. He was a funny flamboyant man who liked to be the center of attention. Being a generous man, would carry around a bundle of $100 bills and would give them to anybody in need. He would drive around in his fancy cars and buy toys for the kids around town on Christmas. He made a lot of money, but also gave a lot away. Therefore, after the Downtown Gang's demise, Johnny would later go on to own businesses such as nightclubs, restaurants, and other establishments. He would then run for mayor of West Beach, Galveston and win the election in 1947, however he was found guilty of voter fraud and was forced out of office in 1949. However, he did enter politics again and ran for mayor in Pirates Beach, Galveston in 1960 and won again.

Health Problems and Death By the late 1960s Nounes had lost both of his legs due to diabetes, and later died on March 11, 1970, at St. Mary's Hospital, Galveston. One of his pallbearers at his honorary pallbearers was mobster Dutch Voight. He is buried at Calvary Catholic Cemetery.