Early Life
Raft was born on September 26, 1901 in Hell's Kitchen, New York City, the son of Eva (Glockner) and Conrad Ranft. His father was born in Massachusetts, to German immigrant parents, and his mother was an Irish immigrant. His parents were married on November 17, 1895 in Manhattan, and his sister, Eva, known as "Katie" was born on April 18, 1896. Although Raft's birth year has been reported to be 1895, the 1900 Census for New York City lists his elder sister, Katie, as his parents' only child with two children born and only one living. On the 1910 Census, he is listed as being 8 years old, and his birth record can be found in the New York City birth index as being 1901. A boyhood friend of gangster Owney Madden (and later a "wheel man" for the mob"), Raft admittedly narrowly avoided a life of crime. Raft spoke German fluently, having learned the language from his parents.
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