55 Facts About Melvin Purvis

Melvin Horace Purvis II was an FBI agent instrumental in capturing bank robbers John Dillinger and Pretty Boy Floyd in 1934.

Melvin Purvis attended Timmonsville High School where in 1920 he was the yearbook's business manager, historian for his graduating class, on the football team, on the baseball team, was a president of the literary society, on the debate team, and played drums in the school orchestra.

Melvin Purvis then enrolled in the University of South Carolina and joined the Rho chapter of the Kappa Alpha Order there in 1921.

Melvin Purvis received his law degree from the University of South Carolina School of Law in 1922.

Melvin Purvis applied at the Justice Department and was hired by the Bureau of Investigation, the forerunner to the FBI, in December 1926 and began serving there in February 1927.

Melvin Purvis rose quickly through the ranks and by 1932, he had headed the Bureau of Investigation offices in Birmingham, Alabama, then Oklahoma City followed by a move to Cincinnati.

Melvin Purvis led an investigation into the crash of United Airlines Trip 23, which uncovered foul play as the cause of the crash.

Melvin Purvis was released after 11 days of captivity, burned and beaten.

Melvin Purvis remembered the face of his abductor, the voices of his captors and environmental details.

Melvin Purvis was contacted that morning but the lodge was in the jurisdiction of the St Paul office, not Chicago.

Melvin Purvis scoured the town for cars he could rent and went back to the airport when he saw Purvis' planes flying in.

Melvin Purvis commandeered the car belonging to the airport bystander who had given them a ride to the dealership.

Melvin Purvis tried to return fire on a fleeing figure that fired on them in the dark, but his machine gun jammed.

Melvin Purvis was targeted for negative public attention despite the fact that the authorities from the St Paul office had jurisdiction and of those both Assistant Director Clegg and Inspector Rorer outranked him.

Nevertheless, a petition calling for Melvin Purvis's suspension surfaced in the towns around the Little Bohemia Lodge.

Melvin Purvis asked Assistant Director Harold Nathan to interview all the agents involved.

FBI assistant director Nathan, who was far more senior than Melvin Purvis, was there and acted as judge.

Melvin Purvis told him that he had only witnessed Nathan giving Kelly a stern lecture to "put the fear of God" into the man and scare the truth out of him.

Melvin Purvis said that Mr Faulkner and Mr Waters were present and that Waters asked Nathan to let Kelly go quietly.

Melvin Purvis said if it was a mock trial, he had no knowledge of that and it certainly had not been planned.

Melvin Purvis said he saw nothing to indicate it was anything more than an interrogation and a lecture.

Melvin Purvis immigrated to Chicago with her first husband and had a son, but her marriage ended when she began an affair with East Chicago, Indiana, police officer Martin Zarkovich.

Melvin Purvis worked as a prostitute and took over the brothel when the owner died.

Melvin Purvis offered to help catch Dillinger in exchange for being allowed to stay in the country with her son.

Melvin Purvis told her he had no control over her fate, but he, as Special Agent in Charge of the Chicago office of the Department of Investigation, would recommend she not be deported.

Melvin Purvis said she could get a financial reward, but he had no control over that either.

Melvin Purvis was stationed with a team of agents at the Marbro when Sage called Purvis in the office and told him Dillinger would be leaving for either the Marbro or the Biograph Theater in five minutes.

Zarkovich and special agent Charles Winstead joined Cowley at the Marbro when Melvin Purvis took agent Brown to the Biograph.

Melvin Purvis would bring his team and do the same.

Melvin Purvis thought of arresting him at the ticket window but decided the risk to the crowd there was too great.

Melvin Purvis came back out and chatted with the ticket seller, finding out how long the movie lasted and when the customers would be leaving.

Melvin Purvis told them to watch for his signals: lighting his cigar on recognizing Dillinger, and waving his hand to indicate the moment to arrest him.

Melvin Purvis waited for the crowd to disperse a bit as Dillinger moved south past him, then he gave the hand signal.

Melvin Purvis walked to the middle of the sidewalk and repeated it.

Melvin Purvis saw Hamilton give a small tug to Dillinger's shirt as a signal that something was wrong.

Melvin Purvis saw Dillinger reach into his shirt for a pistol.

Melvin Purvis tore the buttons off his own jacket in reaching for his gun, but it was agents Hollis, Winstead and Clarence Hurt who shot Dillinger.

Melvin Purvis fell, mortally wounded, between where special agents Walter, Lackerman and Hurt had been positioned.

Faithful to his promise, Melvin Purvis wrote Hoover asking what could be done for Anna Sage.

Melvin Purvis got authorization from Cowley in Washington to drop the kidnapping and go to Wellsville to take Richetti into federal custody and pursue his companion, Charles Arthur, AKA "Pretty boy," Floyd.

Melvin Purvis reportedly incurred the wrath of Hoover, who had previously supported him but now supposedly felt overshadowed.

However, a memo FBI Deputy Associate Director Deke Deloach sent to Administrative Division Assistant Director Jim Mohr the week after Melvin Purvis' death referred to a newspaper article that claimed Melvin Purvis had quit because he was not promoted to the number 2 or 3 spot in the FBI and that Washington officials quarreled over the vast publicity he received.

Melvin Purvis began endorsing products including Gillette razors, Dodge cars and Post Toasties.

In 1936, Melvin Purvis published a memoir of his years as an investigator with the Bureau, entitled American Agent.

Melvin Purvis had dinner in San Francisco with actor Frederick March in this time period, according to what March told the House Un-American Activities Committee in 1940.

Melvin Purvis dated Jean Harlow briefly and befriended Clark Gable.

Melvin Purvis became engaged to actress Janice Jarrett, but they never married.

Melvin Purvis entered the service as a captain on January 31,1942.

Melvin Purvis was promoted to major and received Provost Marshal training.

When General Patton slapped two soldiers being treated for PTSD in evacuation hospitals, Melvin Purvis was sent to interview him on August 10,1943, as part of the investigation.

Melvin Purvis was then summoned back to Washington DC to help organize the War Crimes Division of what was called at that time the War Department, now the Department of Defense.

Melvin Purvis had risen to the rank of colonel by the time he finished his service with the Army in April 1945.

South Carolina senator Olin D Johnston, chair of the Post Office and Civil Service Subcommittee, asked Purvis to serve as counsel to a subcommittee investigating the federal civil service system for bribery and waste and Purvis began in May 1951 and served until 1953.

On February 29,1960, Melvin Purvis was at his home in Florence, South Carolina, when he died from a gunshot wound to the head.

Melvin Purvis said Purvis had not looked well for weeks and had not eaten since coming down with the flu.