To Prohibition-era gangsters, historians and true-crime followers, Meyer Lansky was the financial architect behind a sprawling international gambling empire. To his grandson, however, he was simply “grandpa.”
Meyer Lansky II revisits the life of his late grandfather — the mob boss who helped shape organized crime in the United States — through personal letters, photographs and firsthand recollections in a new book written with S. J. Peddie, “The Lansky Legacy: The Life and Letters of Meyer Lansky.”
“He never mentioned the names of anybody that he worked with. He was always cautious with that,” Lansky told News Media.
Underworld figure Meyer Lansky, center, with his lawyer Morris Polankoff. Lansky was a key figure who helped usher in the golden era for the mob. (NY Daily News via Getty Images)
Raised in Washington state, the younger Lansky initially knew his grandfather as a stern, serious man who kept the parts of his life carefully separated. The elder Lansky did not discuss his underworld activities. Instead, he taught his grandson how to carry himself, paying attention to small refinements such as tie pins and shoehorns.
“Growing up in Washington state, I wasn’t exposed to those kinds of things anywhere else,” Lansky said. “He was always asking me about my grades, my studies, and what books I was reading.
“He’d give me basic advice: ‘Whatever you do, do a good job. Be honest with people, provide good service, and people will come back to you.’”
Meyer Lansky mugshots, circa 1935. Lansky spent decades being the focus of federal investigations. (Getty Images)
Known widely as the “mob’s accountant,” the elder Lansky emerged as a major force in the early 20th century alongside childhood friends Benjamin “Bugsy” Siegel and Charles “Lucky” Luciano. Together, they reshaped organized crime and developed profitable gambling ventures stretching from Havana to Las Vegas.
“He was right alongside Luciano and Bugsy Siegel during the transformation of the syndicate into the modern American Mafia,” Lansky said.
That reputation carried real-world danger. The younger Lansky recalled a chilling incident from his childhood, when his grandfather’s notoriety and perceived wealth nearly led to his kidnapping.
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As he grew older, the veil began to slip.
Lansky was linked to Charles “Lucky” Luciano, above, the infamous 20th century mobster. (Getty Images, File)
“One day I was listening to the radio and heard that Treasury Secretary John Connally was going to Las Vegas to investigate Meyer Lansky,” he said, referencing the decades-long, unsuccessful federal effort to convict his grandfather.
“When my grandfather visited a week later, I told him, ‘Hey, I heard your name on the radio.’ He looked at me, smiled, and said, ‘You did?’ He didn’t elaborate, but I knew at that point he realized I was going to figure out who he really was.”
While mob historians contend that the Polish-born gangster perfected modern money laundering and amassed vast fortunes, a central mystery remains: what happened to the money?
If the elder Lansky stashed away millions, his grandson noted, the family never saw it.
Yet, the physical legacy remains impossible to ignore.
Lansky, widely dubbed the “Mob’s Accountant,” rose to prominence by building lucrative gambling operations from Havana to Las Vegas. (Clive Mason/Getty Images, File)
“He was heavily involved in transforming the American Mafia into something that still holds an irresistible, nostalgic grip on culture,” Lansky said. “These guys are major figures of history.
“They took a barren desert and turned it into a sophisticated gambling empire.”