On This Day in Mob History: May 15, 1957 – The Barbershop Hit That Changed the Mafia Forever

May 15, 1957, stands as one of the most pivotal dates in organized crime history. On this day, one of the most feared and powerful mob bosses in America was gunned down in broad daylight at the Park Sheraton Hotel in Manhattan, sending shockwaves through the entire underworld and fundamentally altering the power structure of the American Mafia.

The Fall of the Mad Hatter

Albert Anastasia, the ruthless underboss of the Gambino family and head of the enforcement arm known as Murder Incorporated, was seated in the barbershop chair of the Park Sheraton Hotel when two gunmen entered and opened fire. Anastasia, who had terrorized the mob underworld for decades with his unpredictable violence and paranoid streak, was hit multiple times. Despite his legendary toughness and reputation as one of the most dangerous men in organized crime, the Lord High Executioner fell in a hail of bullets, his blood staining the white barber’s chair beneath him.

The hit was a masterclass in mob execution. The two assassins—later identified as Vincent “The Chin” Gigante and another triggerman—walked calmly into the barbershop, dispensed with their target with clinical precision, and disappeared into the Manhattan streets. Anastasia never saw it coming, and more importantly, he never stood a chance. The man who had personally ordered hundreds of murders now found himself victim to the very code of violence he had enforced.

A Career Built on Blood and Fear

Albert Anastasia‘s rise through the mob ranks was marked by an almost legendary brutality. He had earned his nickname “The Lord High Executioner” through his merciless work as the primary enforcer for the early Mafia Commission. His willingness to kill anyone, at any time, without hesitation or remorse, made him invaluable to organized crime’s power brokers. But this same unpredictability—his tendency to order hits based on personal slights rather than organizational necessity—had made him increasingly dangerous to his own organization.

By the mid-1950s, Anastasia had become a liability. His paranoia was legendary, his vendettas numerous, and his willingness to act unilaterally without consulting the Commission had created dangerous instability within the mob hierarchy. The other crime families were growing concerned that Anastasia’s unpredictability would draw too much heat from law enforcement and destabilize the carefully constructed relationships between families.

The Conspiracy

The hit on Anastasia was no spontaneous act of violence. It was orchestrated by Carlo Gambino, Anastasia’s own lieutenant, working in coordination with Vito Genovese of the Genovese family. Gambino had grown tired of serving under a boss whose trigger finger was far too quick and whose judgment was increasingly clouded by paranoia. By removing Anastasia, Gambino could position himself as the new boss of what would eventually become known as the Gambino crime family.

The timing and location of the hit—a busy Manhattan hotel barbershop in the middle of the day—sent a clear message to the underworld: No one was untouchable, not even the most feared enforcer in American organized crime. The audacity of the assassination demonstrated that the conspirators had sufficient confidence and backing to pull off such a brazen daytime hit without fear of massive retaliation.

The Aftermath and Succession

With Anastasia dead, Carlo Gambino swiftly consolidated power within the family. He maneuvered to become the new boss, a position he would hold for the next two decades and from which he would make the Gambino family the most powerful crime organization in America. Under Gambino’s more calculated and cautious leadership, the family would prosper and expand its influence far beyond what it had achieved under Anastasia’s violent and erratic rule.

The killing also had broader implications for the Commission structure. It demonstrated that the Commission’s authority to approve or disapprove major mob actions was now genuinely powerful. Though the hit was technically unauthorized by the full Commission, it was deemed acceptable after the fact because the families involved had legitimate grievances against Anastasia’s unpredictable behavior.

The Unsolved Mystery

Despite the widespread knowledge within organized crime circles about who ordered the hit, the Anastasia assassination was never officially solved through the criminal justice system. While various sources have pointed to the involvement of Gigante and others, no one was ever prosecuted for the crime. This remained typical of the era—mob hits were investigated but rarely resulted in convictions, as witnesses either refused to cooperate or mysteriously disappeared.

The May 15, 1957, assassination of Albert Anastasia marks a crucial turning point in American mob history. It was the moment when the era of the fearless, unpredictable enforcer gave way to the age of the calculating, politically savvy crime boss. Carlo Gambino‘s ascension following this hit ushered in a new era of organized crime marked by less flashy but far more effective leadership—a style that would define the Mafia’s most successful period.

• Date: May 15, 1957
• Location: Park Sheraton Hotel Barbershop, Manhattan
• Victim: Albert Anastasia
• Masterminds: Carlo Gambino and Vito Genovese
• Significance: Power transition that shaped the Mafia for decades