Early Years
Alterie was born Leland A. Varain in Northern California. The son of French ranchers, Alterie moved to Chicago as a young man. He eventually joined the predominantly Irish North Side Gang, headed by Dean O'Banion. Other prominent North Siders included Earl "Hymie" Weiss, Vincent "The Schemer" Drucci, and George "Bugs" Moran. Befitting his California background, Alterie was a Western enthusiast who wore a ten-gallon hat and two holstered Colt .45 revolvers and owned a ranch near Sedalia, Colorado. As well as being a top gunman for the North Side Gang, he also formed the Theatrical Janitors' Union and used his position as union president to extort money from theater owners.
Read more about this topic: Louis Alterie
Famous quotes containing the words early and/or years:
“The early Christian rules of life were not made to last, because the early Christians did not believe that the world itself was going to last.”
—George Bernard Shaw (1856–1950)
“A person of mature years and ripe development, who is expecting nothing from literature but the corroboration and renewal of past ideas, may find satisfaction in a lucidity so complete as to occasion no imaginative excitement, but young and ambitious students are not content with it. They seek the excitement because they are capable of the growth that it accompanies.”
—Charles Horton Cooley (1864–1929)