On This Day in Mob History: May 16, 1957 – The Barbershop Execution of Albert Anastasia

May 16, 1957, stands as one of the most brazen and pivotal moments in American organized crime history. On this fateful day, Albert Anastasia, the ruthless “Lord High Executioner” of Murder Incorporated and undisputed boss of the Gambino family, was executed in the barbershop of the Park Sheraton Hotel in Midtown Manhattan—in broad daylight, in front of witnesses, sending shockwaves through the entire criminal underworld.

The Fall of a Mob Dynasty

Albert Anastasia had long been one of organized crime’s most feared and powerful figures. Rising through the ranks as a killer and enforcer, Anastasia helped establish Murder Incorporated, the enforcement arm of the National Crime Syndicate. By the 1950s, he had consolidated control of the waterfront unions and maintained an iron grip on the Gambino family operations—then known as the Mangano family.

However, Anastasia’s reign was built on a foundation of paranoia and violence. His unpredictable nature and tendency toward sudden, violent decisions created enemies within his own organization. Unlike the more diplomatic Carlo Gambino, who would later lead the family with calculated precision, Anastasia ruled through fear and bloodshed.

The Conspiracy Unfolds

By 1957, a coalition of ambitious mobsters had grown tired of Anastasia’s volatile leadership. Chief among the conspirators were Carlo Gambino and Genovese family boss Vito Genovese. They recognized that Anastasia’s unpredictability posed a threat to organized crime’s stability and profitability. More importantly, they saw an opportunity to consolidate power for themselves.

Genovese, in particular, had designs on expanding his influence beyond his own family. By removing Anastasia and installing a more compliant leadership in the Gambino organization, Genovese believed he could position himself as the dominant force in the Commission—the ruling body of organized crime established years earlier by Lucky Luciano and Meyer Lansky.

A Public Execution

On the morning of May 16, 1957, Anastasia entered the Park Sheraton Hotel’s barbershop on East 56th Street for his regular morning shave. The barbershop, located in the basement of the hotel, seemed like a safe enough location—a routine stop in the mobster’s day. However, nothing could have been further from the truth.

At approximately 10:20 AM, two assassins entered the barbershop with guns drawn. Anastasia, seated in the barber’s chair with a hot towel draped across his face, was defenseless. The gunmen unleashed a barrage of bullets into the crime boss, killing him in front of shocked witnesses and the barber. The murder was carried out with such efficiency and confidence that it sent a clear message: no one—not even a mob boss—was untouchable.

The Aftermath and Power Succession

The death of Anastasia created a power vacuum in one of New York’s most powerful crime families. True to the conspirators’ plan, Carlo Gambino was positioned to take control. Gambino’s leadership style stood in stark contrast to Anastasia’s. Where Anastasia ruled through fear and violence, Gambino would rule through diplomacy, strategic thinking, and quiet efficiency. Under his leadership, the Gambino family would become the most powerful and profitable organized crime family in America.

However, the broader consequences of Anastasia’s death extended far beyond a simple succession. The murder represented a shift in how organized crime operated. The brazen nature of the killing—conducted in a public place in the middle of the day—demonstrated both confidence and recklessness. It also marked the beginning of a period of significant instability within the national crime syndicate, as various families jockeyed for position and influence.

A Turning Point in Mob History

The Anastasia murder became emblematic of a broader transformation in organized crime during the late 1950s. The relative stability maintained by Meyer Lansky and others in previous decades was beginning to fracture. Within months of Anastasia’s death, another significant meeting would be called at Apalachin, New York, revealing to law enforcement just how extensive organized crime’s network truly was.

The barbershop assassination also set a precedent for brazen mob violence that would characterize the latter half of the twentieth century. The message was clear: in the underworld, no one was truly safe, regardless of their station. Even a mob boss could be executed in a public place, in broad daylight.

Albert Anastasia’s death on May 16, 1957, remains one of the most significant moments in organized crime history—a turning point that marked the end of an era and the beginning of a new chapter in the American mafia’s complex and violent story.