Claude Maddox
Described by the Chicago Crime Commission's director in 1958 Senate testimony as a man whose real name was John Edward Moore, a St. Louis "Egan's Rats" member who joined the Capone gangsters in Chicago, was held and released as a suspect in the 1929 garage killings, and died in June 1958.
- Born
- 1901-01-26
- Died
- 1958
- Aliases
- John Edward Moore, John "Screwy" Moore, Claude Maddocks
- Rights
- Biography on this page is limited to what the cited federal records state.
On the record
- 26 January 1901 — Virgil W. Peterson of the Chicago Crime Commission testified to the McClellan Committee on 8 July 1958 (Part 33, p. 12531) that Maddox, whose real name he gave as John Edward Moore, "was born in St. Louis, January 26, 1901," and was a member of "Egan's Rats" there.
- 1919-1924 — Peterson recounted (Part 33, pp. 12532-12533) arrests from 1919, beginning with a St. Louis burglary, a burglary indictment of December 1, 1923, and a November 4, 1924 ambush of a car in which Maddox rode. He said Maddox came to Chicago early in the 1920s and "became affiliated with the Capone gangsters."
- 1929 and 1935 — Peterson testified (Part 33, pp. 12533-12534) that Maddox was arrested as a suspect in the Saint Valentine's Day killings of 1929 and again in the latter part of 1935, and each time "furnished an alibi" or "had an ironclad alibi" and was released. No conviction for those killings is stated. In July 1950 Peterson had told the Kefauver Committee (Part 2, p. 130) that Maddox was among those "sought by police as suspects - and they were just suspects."
- Undated — Peterson said (Part 33, p. 12534) that it was "common understanding" that Maddox organized Hotel, Club, Restaurant Employees Local 450 in Cicero and was its "dominant influence," with indications that Frank Nitti, Murray Humphreys and Louis Romano assisted. Testimony, not a finding.
- 9 September 1950 — Louis Campagna told the Kefauver Committee (Part 5, pp. 63-64) that he had known Maddox "a few years" and had heard, which he called hearsay, that Maddox had a saloon in Cicero.
- 19 January 1951 — Kefauver Committee counsel, questioning Joseph Aiuppa (Part 5, pp. 1371-1378), said that Maddox, whom he called by the alias John "Screwy" Moore, had "a very large or long criminal record," was the senior partner in Taylor & Co., a maker of gambling equipment, and had "tie-ins, I believe, with the St. Louis mob." Counsel's statement; Aiuppa refused to answer.
- June 1958 — Peterson testified on 8 July 1958 that Maddox had died of natural causes "2 weeks ago last Saturday," shortly before he was due to appear before the committee.
The heading uses the name under which the hearings list him. “John Edward Moore” is the real name Peterson gave in 1958, “John ‘Screwy’ Moore” is Kefauver counsel’s, and “Claude Maddocks” is the spelling in counsel’s question to Aiuppa.
Every statement on this page comes from congressional hearings: the Crime Commission director’s testimony from its files, a witness’s hearsay, and committee counsel’s remarks. None is a finding. The born field is Peterson’s date, and the died field is the year of his testimony that Maddox had died weeks earlier; no birth or death record was opened. Peterson also gave the 1929 garage’s street address; it is not used here.