FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives by year, 1950
Encyclopedia
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
FBI, under Director J. Edgar Hoover
J. Edgar Hoover
John Edgar Hoover was the first Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation of the United States. Appointed director of the Bureau of Investigation—predecessor to the FBI—in 1924, he was instrumental in founding the FBI in 1935, where he remained director until his death in 1972...
, began to maintain a public list of the people it regarded as the Ten Most Wanted Fugitives
FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives
The FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list arose from a conversation held in late 1949 between J. Edgar Hoover, Director of the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation, and William Kinsey Hutchinson, International News Service Editor-in-Chief, who were discussing ways to promote capture of the...
.
The concept of the list began in late 1949, when the FBI helped publish an article about the "toughest guys" the Bureau was after, who remained fugitives from justice. The Washington Daily News
Washington Daily News
The Washington Daily News is a daily newspaper serving Washington, North Carolina. It is the smallest daily newspaper to ever win a Pulitzer Prize gold medal....
article was titled, "FBI's Most Wanted Fugitives Named," and appeared on February 7, 1949. The positive publicity from the story resulted in the birth of the FBI's "Ten Most Wanted Fugitives" list on March 14, 1950.
Starting in 1950, the top Ten fugitives were entered into a handwritten log book. The Fugitive Publicity employees of the FBI used the log book to record and track the "Ten Most Wanted Fugitives" by this method until 1991.
1950 Fugitives
The Ten Most Wanted Fugitives listed by the FBI in 1950 include (in FBI list appearance sequence order):| Name | Sequence Number | Date of Entry | Time Listed |
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| Thomas James Holden | #1 | March 14, 1950 | One year |
| Thomas James Holden - U.S. prisoner, was arrested June 23, 1951 in Beaverton, Oregon Beaverton, Oregon Beaverton is a city in Washington County, Oregon, United States, seven miles west of Portland in the Tualatin River Valley.As of the 2010 census, the population is 90,267. This makes it the second-largest city in the county and Oregon's sixth-largest city... , following a tip from a citizen who read the INS story in the Portland, Oregon Portland, Oregon Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States... , newspaper The Oregonian The Oregonian The Oregonian is the major daily newspaper in Portland, Oregon, owned by Advance Publications. It is the oldest continuously published newspaper on the U.S. west coast, founded as a weekly by Thomas J. Dryer on December 4, 1850... and contacted the FBI. He had fled Illinois Illinois Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,... , and was charged with unlawful flight across state lines November 4, 1949; had shot to death his wife and her two brothers while drinking June 5, 1949 in Chicago; was released from Leavenworth Prison United States Penitentiary, Leavenworth The United States Penitentiary , Leavenworth was the largest maximum security federal prison in the United States from 1903 until 2005. It became a medium security prison in 2005.It is located in Leavenworth, Kansas... November 28, 1947; after escape, was caught with a fellow escapee by Special Agents and local police officers on a golf course at Kansas City, Missouri Kansas City, Missouri Kansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties... , July 7, 1932; was alleged to be one of the "outside" crew in a sensational armed break of other prisoners from Leavenworth in December, 1931; escaped from Leavenworth in 1930; was convicted of robbing a mail train in the late 1920s. |
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| Morley Vernon King | #2 | March 15, 1950 | Two years |
| Morley Vernon King - U.S. prisoner, was apprehended October 31, 1951 in a Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,... restaurant, while shucking oysters; was charged with unlawful flight July 18, 1947; was charged July 12, 1947 with the murder of his wife Helen, found strangled in a steamer trunk July 9, 1947 under the back porch of a San Luis Obispo, California San Luis Obispo, California San Luis Obispo is a city in California, located roughly midway between San Francisco and Los Angeles on the Central Coast. Founded in 1772 by Spanish Fr. Junipero Serra, San Luis Obispo is one of California’s oldest communities... hotel; he had fled July 8, 1947 |
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| William Nesbit William Nesbit William Raymond Nesbit was a 1930s jewel thief, born in Marshalltown, Iowa. On December 31, 1936, he killed fellow thief Harold Baker in a gunpowder explosion in Minnehaha County, near Sioux Falls, South Dakota... |
#3 | March 16, 1950 | Three days, after missing for four years |
| William Nesbit William Nesbit William Raymond Nesbit was a 1930s jewel thief, born in Marshalltown, Iowa. On December 31, 1936, he killed fellow thief Harold Baker in a gunpowder explosion in Minnehaha County, near Sioux Falls, South Dakota... - U.S. prisoner at South Dakota State Penitentiary South Dakota State Penitentiary The South Dakota State Penitentiary is a state prison located in South Dakota's largest city, Sioux Falls, and holds the state's most deadly and dangerous criminals, as well as sex offenders. It was built in 1881. The building's industry shop makes several things for the state, including woodwork... , was arrested March 18, 1950 in St. Paul, Minnesota by local police following the INS story in the St. Paul Dispatch after being recognized by some boys as "Ray," a man who lived in a cave near the river. Was charged with unlawful flight December 26, 1946 after disappearing from prison as a trusty driver for the warrant.September 4, 1946 while serving a life sentence, which was commuted to 20 years on February 18, 1946. Had been apprehended at Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Oklahoma City is the capital and the largest city in the state of Oklahoma. The county seat of Oklahoma County, the city ranks 31st among United States cities in population. The city's population, from the 2010 census, was 579,999, with a metro-area population of 1,252,987 . In 2010, the Oklahoma... , on February 26, 1937 for murder, having blown up an accomplice in a massive black powder explosion, and trying to kill another accomplice, after beating her in the head with a hammer during a fight in Minnehaha County while stealing dynamite to make nitroglycerin on December 31, 1936, following the December 22, 1936 burglary of jewelry company at Sioux City, Iowa Sioux City, Iowa Sioux City is a city in Plymouth and Woodbury counties in the western part of the U.S. state of Iowa. The population was 82,684 in the 2010 census, a decline from 85,013 in the 2000 census, which makes it currently the fourth largest city in the state.... . |
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| Henry Randolph Mitchell | #4 | March 17, 1950 | Eight years |
| Henry Randolph Mitchell- PROCESS DISMISSED July 18, 1958 after the Federal District Court at Jacksonville dropped the bank robbery charge because too much time passed; had robbed a Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation is a United States government corporation created by the Glass–Steagall Act of 1933. It provides deposit insurance, which guarantees the safety of deposits in member banks, currently up to $250,000 per depositor per bank. , the FDIC insures deposits at... bank in Williston, Florida Williston, Florida Williston is a city in Levy County, Florida, United States. The population was 2,297 at the 2000 census. According to the U.S. Census Bureau's 2004 estimates, the city had a population of 2,467.-Geography:Williston is located at .... January 21, 1948 shortly after being released from Florida State Penitentiary. His criminal career dated back to 1924 and he had been previously convicted in the states of Kentucky Kentucky The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth... , Georgia Georgia (U.S. state) Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788... , New York New York New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east... and Florida for crimes including grand larceny, violation of narcotics laws, breaking and entering,and forgery. With the dropping of the bank robbery charge, Mitchell became the first FBI Most Wanted Fugitive to escape both arrest and the Top 10 Most Wanted Fugitive list. |
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| Omar August Pinson | #5 | March 18, 1950 | Five months |
| Omar August Pinson - U.S. prisoner at Oregon State Penitentiary Oregon State Penitentiary Oregon State Penitentiary , the first state prison in Oregon, United States, was originally located in Portland in 1851. In 1866 it was moved to a site in Salem and enclosed by a reinforced concrete wall averaging in height... September 5, 1950; was arrested August 28, 1950 at Pierre, South Dakota Pierre, South Dakota Pierre is the capital of the U.S. state of South Dakota and the county seat of Hughes County. The population was 13,646 at the 2010 census, making it the second least populous state capital after Montpelier, Vermont... by South Dakota Highway Patrol South Dakota Highway Patrol The South Dakota Highway Patrol is the State Police agency for South Dakota, which has jurisdiction everywhere in the state except for sovereign Native American reservations. It was created to protect the lives, property and constitutional rights of people in South Dakota... and an FBI National Academy graduate; had evaded capture after a shootout with police January 30, 1950, at Polson, Montana Polson, Montana Polson is a city in Lake County, Montana, United States, on the southern shore of Flathead Lake. It is also on the Flathead Indian Reservation. The population was 4,041 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Lake County... while burglarizing a hardware store under the alias of Sam Cignitti; became wanted in 1949 in eastern Washington and Idaho for burglary under the alias Joseph Anthony Dorian; charged with unlawful flight September 7, 1949; crossed state lines after he escaped May 30, 1949 from the Oregon State Prison with a cellmate; had been sentenced May 24, 1947 to life imprisonment at Oregon State Penitentiary for first degree murder; had been captured within 24 hours by the Oregon State Police Oregon State Police The Oregon State Police is the main state law enforcement agency of the U.S. state of Oregon. They have been charged to enforce all of Oregon's criminal laws and to help local law enforcement agencies with their duties... and local officers at Ordnance, Oregon Ordnance, Oregon Ordnance is a ghost town in Umatilla County, Oregon, United States, southwest of Hermiston on Interstate 84/U.S. Route 30, near the intersection with Interstate 82... ; had shot and fatally wounded Oregon State Police Officer Delmond Rondeauin April 15, 1947, in Hood River, Oregon Hood River, Oregon The city of Hood River is the seat of Hood River County, Oregon, United States. It is a port on the Columbia River, and is named for the nearby Hood River. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 5,831... after a burglary; released from the Washington State Prison in 1945; sentenced in 1944 to the Washington State Prison, Walla Walla, Washington for burglary; was released and then again sentenced in 1941 to the Missouri State Penitentiary Missouri State Penitentiary The Missouri State Penitentiary, also known as "The Walls", was a prison in Jefferson City, Missouri that operated from 1836-2004. It was a prison of the Missouri Department of Corrections. Before its closure it was named the Jefferson City Correctional Center . Before its closure it was the oldest... for automobile tampering; had been sentenced January 1936 to 18 months in the Eldora, Iowa State Reformatory on a charge of armed robbery |
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| Lee Emory Downs | #6 | March 20, 1950 | One month |
| Lee Emory Downs - U.S. prisoner was returned to prison for burglary attempt of Colombian consulate in San Francisco, after his parole in 1968; was arrested April 7, 1950 with weapons, dynamite and fuses at a Daytona Beach, Florida Daytona Beach, Florida Daytona Beach is a city in Volusia County, Florida, USA. According to 2008 U.S. Census Bureau estimates, the city has a population of 64,211. Daytona Beach is a principal city of the Deltona – Daytona Beach – Ormond Beach, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area, which the census bureau estimated had... trailer park; was charged August 3, 1948 with unlawful flight; had robbed a telephone company office in San Jose, California San Jose, California San Jose is the third-largest city in California, the tenth-largest in the U.S., and the county seat of Santa Clara County which is located at the southern end of San Francisco Bay... , June 3, 1948; an expert safecracker and skilled holdup man in three Pacific Coast states |
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| Orba Elmer Jackson | #7 | March 21, 1950 | Two days |
| Orba Elmer Jackson - U.S. prisoner sentenced to two years to run concurrently with his sentence being served, and returned to Leavenworth on September 19, 1950; was arrested March 23, 1950 at a poultry farm outside Portland, Oregon Portland, Oregon Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States... ; was indicted by the Federal Grand Jury Grand jury A grand jury is a type of jury that determines whether a criminal indictment will issue. Currently, only the United States retains grand juries, although some other common law jurisdictions formerly employed them, and most other jurisdictions employ some other type of preliminary hearing... at Kansas City, Missouri Kansas City, Missouri Kansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties... on March 18, 1949 charged with unlawful escape; had been transferred to an honor farm September 3, 1947, but disappeared three weeks later; had been convicted April 8, 1936 and returned to Leavenworth; beat a man and robbed a store also serving as a United States Post Office near Poplar Bluff, Missouri Poplar Bluff, Missouri Poplar Bluff is a city in Butler County located in Southeast Missouri in the United States. It is the county seat of Butler County and is known as "The Gateway to the Ozarks" among other names. As of the 2000 U.S... ; was sentenced again in 1928 for car theft to three years at the United States Penitentiary at Leavenworth, Kansas; released from prison in 1928; sentenced to six years at Missouri State Penitentiary Missouri State Penitentiary The Missouri State Penitentiary, also known as "The Walls", was a prison in Jefferson City, Missouri that operated from 1836-2004. It was a prison of the Missouri Department of Corrections. Before its closure it was named the Jefferson City Correctional Center . Before its closure it was the oldest... at Jefferson City, Missouri Jefferson City, Missouri Jefferson City is the capital of the U.S. state of Missouri and the county seat of Cole County. Located in Callaway and Cole counties, it is the principal city of the Jefferson City metropolitan area, which encompasses the entirety of both counties. As of the 2010 census, the population was 43,079... in 1924 on a charge of grand larceny of an automobile in Joplin, Missouri Joplin, Missouri Joplin is a city in southern Jasper County and northern Newton County in the southwestern corner of the US state of Missouri. Joplin is the largest city in Jasper County, though it is not the county seat. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 50,150... |
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| Glen Roy Wright | #8 | March 22, 1950 | Nine months |
| Glen Roy Wright - deceased in prison May 7, 1954. He was a U.S. prisoner arrested December 13, 1950 at Salina, Kansas Salina, Kansas Salina is a city in and the county seat of Saline County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 47,707. Located in one of the world's largest wheat-producing areas, Salina is a regional trade center for north-central Kansas... ; charged with unlawful flight February 8, 1949; escaped from prison September 14, 1948; was serving a life sentence in 1934 at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary Oklahoma State Penitentiary The Oklahoma State Penitentiary is located in McAlester, Oklahoma, on . It is a prison of the Oklahoma Department of Corrections. Opened in 1908 with 50 inmates in makeshift facilities, today the prison holds more than 1,200 male offenders, the vast majority of which are maximum-security inmates... at McAlester, Oklahoma McAlester, Oklahoma McAlester is a city in Pittsburg County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 17,783 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Pittsburg County. It is currently the largest city in the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, followed by Durant.... for armed robbery; was wounded in a gun battle with police officers in Arkansas; was shot during gunbattle with police during his apprehension in Kansas; was a former associate of the Karpis-Barker Gang of the 1930s. |
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| Henry Harland Shelton | #9 | March 23, 1950 | Three months |
| Henry Harland Shelton - U.S. prisoner serving a sentence of forty-five years for kidnapping and five years concurrently for car theft; pled guilty August 21, 1950; was wounded during gunfight with Special Agents while being arrested June 23, 1950; indicted October 14, 1949; was wanted for kidnapping and car theft on September 17, 1949 in Amasa, Michigan, extending over a couple days from Michigan, to Illinois and into Wisconsin, then back to Illinois and Indiana; had escaped September 5, 1949 from the Michigan House of Correction and Branch Prison | |||
| Morris Guralnick | #10 | March 24, 1950 | Nine months |
| Morris Guralnick - U.S. prisoner was arrested December 15, 1950 at a Madison, Wisconsin Madison, Wisconsin Madison is the capital of the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Dane County. It is also home to the University of Wisconsin–Madison.... clothing store; was charged July 22, 1948 with unlawful flight from New York; assaulted guards and escaped July 11, 1948 from Ulster County Jail at Kingston, New York Kingston, New York Kingston is a city in and the county seat of Ulster County, New York, USA. It is north of New York City and south of Albany. It became New York's first capital in 1777, and was burned by the British Oct. 16, 1777, after the Battles of Saratoga... ; had stabbed his former girlfriend in April 1948, and bit off the finger of an arresting officer |
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| Willie Sutton | #11 | March 20, 1950 | Two years |
| William Francis (Willie) Sutton Willie Sutton William "Willie" Sutton was a prolific U.S. bank robber. During his forty-year criminal career he stole an estimated $2 million, and eventually spent more than half of his adult life in prison... - DECEASED November 2, 1980, in Spring Hill, Florida Spring Hill, Florida Spring Hill is a census-designated place in Hernando County, Florida, United States. The estimated population was 92,144 in 2007 by the United States Census. Spring Hill belongs to Florida's Nature Coast and is in the Tampa-St... ; early released by the New York State penal authorities December 24, 1969, from Attica State Prison; was sentenced to an additional 30 years to life in New York State Prison after Queens County Court trial; U.S. PRISONER for the final time, after he was arrested February 18, 1952 at a gas station by New York City Police while buying a car battery after he was spotted on the New York subway and followed; owed one life sentence plus 105 years before his arrest, for his escape from prison with others, dressed as guards, February 10, 1947; was transferred to the Philadelphia County Prison, Homesburg, Pennsylvania after he was sentenced to life imprisonment as a fourth time offender; he had escaped through a tunnel and was recaptured the same day by Philadelphia police April 3, 1945; was there serving a sentence of 25 to 50 years in Eastern State Penitentiary Eastern State Penitentiary The Eastern State Penitentiary is a former American prison in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is located on 2027 Fairmount Avenue between Corinthian Avenue and North 22nd Street in the Fairmount section of Philadelphia and was operational from 1829 until 1971... , Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, for the machine gun robbery of the Corn Exchange Bank; had been caught February 5, 1934, after he had held hostages and robbed the Corn Exchange Bank on January 15, 1934; was earlier foiled in attempt to rob the Corn Exchange Bank and Trust Company in Philadelphia on February 15, 1933; was loose after having escaped over a prison wall on December 11, 1932; was sentenced to 30 years in June, 1931 for assault and robbery |
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| Stephen William Davenport | #12 | April 4, 1950 | One month |
| Stephen William Davenport - U.S. prisoner arrested May 5, 1950 in Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous... by local police |
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| Henry Clay Tollett | #13 | April 1, 1950 | One year |
| Henry Clay Tollett - deceased, fatally wounded June 4, 1951 by a California Highway Patrol California Highway Patrol The California Highway Patrol is a law enforcement agency of the U.S. state of California. The CHP has patrol jurisdiction over all California highways and also acts as the state police.... officer during the attempt to apprehend him in a stolen car in Redding, California Redding, California Redding is a city in far-Northern California. It is the county seat of Shasta County, California, USA. With a population of 89,861, according to the 2010 Census... |
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| Frederick J. Tenuto | #14 | May 24, 1950 | Fourteen years |
| Frederick J. Tenuto - PROCESS DISMISSED March 9, 1964 at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,... by a U.S. District judge {alleged by Joe Valachi Joe Valachi Joseph "Joe Cargo" Valachi , Italian American, also known as "Charles Chanbano" and "Anthony Sorge" was the first Mafia member to publicly acknowledge the existence of the Mafia. He is also the person who made Cosa Nostra a household name.-Career:Joseph Valachi was born in East Harlem, New York... that Tenuto was killed} |
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| Thomas Kling | #15 | July 17, 1950 | Two years |
| Thomas Kling - U.S. prisoner arrested February 20, 1952 in New York by local police | |||
| Meyer Dembin | #16 | September 5, 1950 | One year |
| Meyer Dembin - U.S. prisoner surrendered November 26, 1951 to the U. S. Attorney in New York City | |||
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By the end of the year, only three of the original Ten Fugitives still remained on the FBI list.
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