George Bugs Moran

Born: August 21st, 1893

Died: February 25th, 1957

George "Bugs" Moran was a member of the Northside Gang in Chicago during the Prohibition era. He was known for driving by a rival's area and shooting, it is now known as a drive-by shooting.

Early Life

George Bugs Moran's real name was Adelard Cunin but it was later changed to George Moran using twisted dates, places, and his real name so that people couldn't find his origins.

George Moran was born in St. Paul, Minnesota on august 21, 1891. He was the first born of Jules Cunin and Marie Diana Gobeil. Marie came from Canada and his father came from France. His Father was a short-tempered man and he and George Moran did not get along. Often, his father beat him and exposed his children to crime. It is believed that Moran became a criminal as a teen. When he was 19 years old, he moved to Chicago and got involved in multiple street gangs. By the time he was 21, George was already jailed three times.

Life of Crime

Soon after getting out of jail at 21, Moran joined Dion O'Banion's North Side Gang. Dion and George got along well and worked well with each other. In the 1920s, The North Side Gang was a large rival with Al Capone's Gang.

After Johnny Torrio put a hit on Dion O'Banion, Dion was murdered. George and many North Siders were furious. Bugs Moran eventually stepped up and led the gang after Dion O'Banion died. Under the control of Bugs, the Northside Gang grew more and more bloody.

Moran was known for his drive-by shootings, and many feared him for that. He was also in the famous drive-by where a car drove past Al Capone's headquarters, The Hawthrone Inn, and fired over 1000 shots into the building.

To get revenge for Dion O'Banion, Moran and a man named Hymie Weiss decided to attack Johnny Torrio. They followed Johnny Torrio to his house and started shooting at him. Moran put the gun to Torrio's head and pulled the trigger but there were no more bullets. They ran and got away.

Moran hated Capone and often he would try to anger the great gangster by frequently making truces with the Capone Gang, only to break the peace within hours of the agreement. Moran saw Capone as a low life due to his work with prostitution. The North Siders, being "good and wholesome" refused to deal with prostitution. Instead, they killed people.

St. Valentines Day Massacre

Capone diecided that the feud between the two gangs must come to an end. He also wanted to get revenge for Johnny Torrio. Becasue of this, Al Capone ordered some of his members to find Moran's men and shoot them. He was hoping that Moran would be with the North Side members who were shot, but Moran arriving late that day, missed the "police men" that took away the North Side men and shot them.

After the Massacure

The Hawthorne Inn

In the 1930s, even when his enemy, Capone, was in Jail, Moran lost his power. However, Bugs Moran was believed to have killed Jack McGurn, the shooter in the St. Valentines Day Massacre. His popularity with his gang was getting lower and lower. His crimes were small in comparison to what he did in the 20's. George Moran eventually moved to Ohio were he later was arrested in July, 1946, for robbing a bank. He was convicted and sentenced to 10 years in jail. After his release, he was arrested again for a previous bank raid.

On February 25th,1957, Bugs died of cancer in his cell at Leavenworth. He was given a small burial in a wooden casket just outside the prison.

Moran in death.

St. Valentines Day Video