Arkansas Godfather: The Story of Owney Madden and How He Hijacked Middle America

by Graham Nown

Owney Madden lived a seemingly quiet life for decades in the resort town of Hot Springs, Arkansas, while he was actually helping some of America's most notorious gangsters rule a vast criminal empire. In 1987, Graham Nown first told Madden's story in his book The English Godfather , in which he traced Madden's boyhood in England, his immigration to New York City, and his rise to mob boss. Nown also uncovered a love story involving Madden and the daughter of the Hot Springs postmaster. Before his arrival in Hot Springs, Madden was one of the most powerful gangsters in New York City and former owner of the famous Cotton Club in Harlem. The story of his life shows us a world where people can break the law without ever getting caught, and where criminality is so entwined in government and society that one might wonder what is legality and what isn't.

Genres: Biography, Crime, History, True Crime, Nonfiction

360 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2013

Reviews

[Mona Cochran · Rating 1 out of 5]

I give the book a big thumbs down. I skipped the middle and picked up where they got married and still couldn’t finish. I think it’s a great story line, but the writing style was overly detailed and a struggle to read. It would probably make a fantastic movie!

[Michael Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nown seemed to go native and hero-worshiped Owney.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hot Springs, Ark. Illegal gambling. Payoffs to sheriffs and politicians. Although when I lived in Little Rock circa 1960 I was vaguely aware of the city’s shady side, I don’t recall that I knew that it was controlled by a former big time member of the New York City west-side criminal fraternity and that he was living there in mostly quiet seclusion. This book is mostly about Owen (Owney) Madden, an English-born gangster, and his NYC criminal activities -- flouting prohibition, shootings, imprisonments; his friendships with prominent boxers, dealings with fellow racketeers and hobnobs with actors, actresses and entertainers. Three chapters at end relate directly to his Arkansas connection, a state to which he “retired” after prosecutors in New York turned up the heat. In Hot Springs he hosted big name gangsters (Al Capone, Frank Costello, Meyer Lansky, others) and Hollywood friends who came to “take the waters.” He maintained financial interests in the city’s officially illegal activities even while maintaining a low profile. Owney died not from bullets still lodged in his body from New York gang battles, but from emphazema. Only a year before, Gov. Faubus, under pressure from Bobby Kennedy and J. Edgar Hoover, had brought to bear enforcement of anti-gambling laws. Hot Springs was “clean.” Overall, this is a thoroughly researched and engaging biography.

[Kay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed this book about Owney Madden, a NYC mobster that ended up in Hot Springs, Arkansas. Despite being pretty well unknown outside of those two places, he was an infamous mafia leader. He avoided publicity and even paid Walter Winchell to keep his name out of his column. Owner of the Cotton Club, partnered with Joe Kennedy during the bootlegging era, boyfriend of Mae West, friend of George Raft and involved in many more nefarious enterprises, Owney [like many of the Mafia guys] visited Hot Springs where he fell in love with the postmasters daughter. Eventually after spending some time in Sing Sing, settled in the little crime ridden town nestled in the foothills of the mountains. There he ran gambling, bookie joints and more with the FBI breathing down his neck.

I enjoy Mafia books and live in Hot Springs so this book really appealed to me.

[Nancy Hartney · Rating 5 out of 5]

NICE job of throwing a spotlight on little known Arkansas history.

[Jodi Tooke · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really intriguing look at a man who had no interest in publicity and exploits that garnered the attention of his adopted country.