The Gambino Family

The origins of the Gambino Family can be traced to the early 1900's, with Pellegrino Morano until he was jaied in 1916, and then Salvatore "Toto" D'Aquila until he was killed in 1928 was killed by some of Joe Masseria's men. When Masseria and  Salvatore Maranzano were killed in the Castellammarese War, Charles Luciano was the organizor of the hit, and was the main benefactor. His next move was to set up a National Syndicate, sometimes known as the "Commission", a board of directors for the five New York families.
 

Rise after the war

After Masseria was killed, Frank Scalice was boss of the family. When Salvatore Maranzano was mudered in 1931, orderd by Luciano, Frank had to step down because of his loyalty to Maranzano, and Vincent Mangano was the new leader of the family. His reign lasted until 1951 when his brother Phil was murdered by Albert Anastasia. It was not long after that Vincent himself disspeared, assumed to have been killed by or on orders by Anastaisa. Contested by no one, being the fearless killer he was, took the reigns of the family, with Carlo Gambino as underboss.

During the next few years, Vito Genovese rose to the second in command in the family fun by Frank Costello (later known as the Genovese Family.) As with most power hungry mobsters, his goal was to be boss. But with Anastasia and Costello having close ties, there was only one thing he could do. Vito and Gambino would conspire to bring down Anastaisa, and on October 25, 1957, while at a barbershop, he was pumped with bullets on orders from Gambino. Gambino would now become boss of the family and would stay there for 19 years. Later, Genovese would set up a hit on Costello, with Vincent Gigante as the trigger man. Gigante shot Frank in the head but he survived. Shaken up, and with his alley Anastaia gone, he stepped down and Vito Genovese became the Don of the family that now beared his name.

A few years after the death of Anastasia, Carlo Gambino, along with a few others, set up Genovese in a drug ring so he would be sent to prison, until he died there 15 years later. It was during this time, without the power hungry Vito in the Genovese family, that the Gambino Family extended there operations and became the most powerful force in the mafia scene. While Luciano was away in Italy and Cuba, Gambino was most likely the de facto Boss of Bosses, even though Luciano still had a powerful grip.

Carlo Gambino ran the family that now beared his name for 19 years until he died of a heart attack in 1976. The person he chose as successor would not be his underboss, Aniello Dellacroce, as it usually is, but would be Paul Castellano. Castellano would last until the mid 80's. His underboss, still Dellacroce, died in 1985 and Paul would not last much longer. An up and commer in the Gambino Family, John Gotti, ordered the hit of Paul Castellano outside of Sparks Steak House, and Gotti was now the new boss.