1. Charles Becker was a lieutenant in the New York City Police Department between the 1890s and the 1910s.
22 Facts About Charles Becker
1. 2.
Charles Becker was convicted of first-degree murder and executed for the killing of Herman Rosenthal, a bookmaker and gambler, in 1912 near Times Square.
3.
Charles Becker was born in 1870 in the village of Callicoon Center, in Sullivan County, New York.
4.
Charles Becker moved to New York City as a young man in 1890 and went to work as a bouncer in a German beer hall just off the Bowery.
5.
Charles Becker made a powerful entrance to his trial on October 15,1896, surrounded by a phalanx of policemen.
6.
Charles Becker learned about the power of the badge and how he could call on his colleagues for help.
7.
Howard Charles Becker completed a doctorate in sociology at the University of Chicago and later became a full professor at University of Wisconsin-Madison.
8.
Helen Charles Becker always believed that her husband was wrongfully convicted of murder.
9.
In 1902 and 1903, Charles Becker was one of the leaders of a patrolman's reform movement agitating for the introduction of the three-platoon system.
10.
Charles Becker allegedly used his position to extort substantial sums, later shown to total in excess of $100,000, from Manhattan brothels and illegal gambling casinos in exchange for immunity from police interference.
11.
Charles Becker complained to the press that Becker "collected 20 percent of the take" there.
12.
In July 1912, Charles Becker was reported by the New York World as one of three senior police officials involved in extorting money from Rosenthal's casinos.
13.
Amid a major public outcry following the murder and extensive press coverage, Charles Becker was transferred to the Bronx and assigned to desk duty.
14.
On July 29,1912, Charles Becker was arrested at the precinct's closing hour by special detectives from the District Attorney's Office.
15.
Charles Becker was tried and convicted of first-degree murder that fall in a trial presided by John Goff, who was "intensely biased against Becker" and whose charge to the jury was slanted toward conviction.
16.
Charles Becker was the first police officer in New York to receive that penalty.
17.
On July 30,1915, Charles Becker was executed in Sing Sing's electric chair by John Hulbert, New York's state electrician.
18.
Charles Becker was interred at Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx on August 2,1915.
19.
Charles Becker was known to have assets that far exceeded his salary.
20.
Charles Becker devoted much space to the conduct of the trial and individuals' testimony.
21.
New York police historian Thomas A Reppetto believes that Becker was guilty because of the testimony of people involved but he had a strong motive and had shown reckless behavior.
22.
Charles Becker made no conclusion as to Becker's guilt in the murder.