Lincoln Fitzgerald

Lincoln Fitzgerald (October 21, 1892 – April 18, 1981) was an American casino owner who operated three casinos in Nevada. He previously operated gambling establishments in Michigan, but in 1946 he moved to Reno, Nevada and opened The Nevada Club. In 1949, he survived a murder attempt in his garage. In 1976, he opened the largest of his casinos, the 16-story Fitzgeralds Casino & Hotel, Reno.

After his death a hoard of his belongings was discovered in a warehouse, which included casino chips and some 100,000 American silver dollars. The entire collection was purchased by famous coin dealer Ron Gillio, who named it the Fitzgerald Hoard.

Early life Fitzgerald was born in San Francisco, California on October 21, 1892 and had a brother named Stanton. Lincoln Fitzgerald was a United States Army veteran and served in World War I. While in Detroit, Michigan, Fitzgerald was a gambler and he became associated with the Detroit Purple Gang. The Purple Gang was a group of criminals primarily of Jewish descent who were associated with prostitution, gambling, bootlegging, and murder.

Career Fitzgerald and his partner Danny Sullivan operated several gambling establishments in Detroit. One of his establishments was called the Detroit Gambling Club.

Fitzgerald and Sullivan had been charged with bribery and illegal gambling operations in Macomb County, Michigan. They eventually settled the matter by paying US$52,000 in fines and court costs. At the time of his death, he was operating three casinos, Fitzgeralds Casino & Hotel (Reno) the Nevada Club (Reno), and the Nevada Lodge of Lake Tahoe. The shotgun was held so close to Fitzgerald's side that the wadding from the shell was embedded in his body. His wife Meta heard the shots and ran outside to see him slumped down on the floor of the garage. The shotgun blast had damaged his spine and he had more than 110 shotgun pellets lodged in his body. His liver was badly damaged and a number of pellets could not be removed. The shooter was never found.

Personal life Fitzgerald was married to Meta née Konarske. Gillio called the items in the warehouse the Fitzgerald Hoard. Among the items in the hoard were casino chips and 100,000 American silver dollars.

He was hospitalized at Washoe Medical Center on March 31, 1981, and died there on April 18, 1981. He had been suffering from an upper respiratory tract infection.