Public Enemy Era

[disambiguation: Public Enemy]

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The brief period of heightened criminal persecution during the 1930’s in which the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) established a list of “Public Enemies” within the United States. Despite being intended to shame wanted fugitives and encourage authorities to prosecute them, the list’s widespread publicity ended up being mutually beneficial, transforming outlaws like Al Capone into household names and promoting the efficiency of J. Edgar Hoover’s administration. Historians posit the public enemy era to be a direct result of Prohibition-era restrictions and economic hardship following the Great Depression, which both fueled an increase in organized crime as desperate individuals attempted to achieve financial solvency. The government’s exaggerated response to these illicit activities only further popularized the idolization of outlaws, viewed by the public as “modern-day Robin Hoods” who represented the common man’s plight. “Public Enemy gangs” were often impeccably groomed and extremely stylish, using their plundered wealth to acquire elegant clothing as well as cutting edge, military-grade weapons. The use of the term would eventually evolve into the FBI’s Most Wanted list, and its victims would later become major historical figures. These members included but were not limited to Al Capone, John Dillinger, Baby Face Nelson, Bonnie and Clyde Barrow, Pretty Boy Floyd, Machine Gun Kelly, Alvin Karpis, and the matriarchal Ma Barker, leader of the .

Among the offenders included in the list, only four would earn the title of “Public Enemy No. 1”, and only one was captured alive:

• John Dillinger, declared "Public Enemy No. 1" by the FBI in 1934
• “Pretty Boy” Floyd, declared "Public Enemy No. 1" by the FBI after the death of Dillinger
• “Baby Face” Nelson, declared "Public Enemy No. 1" by the FBI after the death of Floyd
• Alvin Karpis, declared "Public Enemy No. 1" by the FBI after the death of Nelson.