Max Gerlach
Literary model for The Great Gatsby / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Max von Gerlach (born Max Stork Gerlach; October 12, 1885 – October 18, 1958) was an American racketeer and an acquaintance of American writer F. Scott Fitzgerald.[4][5] After serving as an officer in the American Expeditionary Force during World War I, Gerlach became a gentleman bootlegger who operated speakeasies on behalf of gambler Arnold Rothstein in New York City.[6][7] Gerlach's bootlegging activities soon made him a millionaire.[6][7]
Max Gerlach | |
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Born | Max Stork Gerlach (1885-10-12)October 12, 1885[1] |
Died | October 18, 1958(1958-10-18) (aged 73)[2] New York City, U.S. |
Resting place | Long Island National Cemetery[2] |
Nationality | German-American[lower-alpha 1] |
Occupation | Bootlegger |
Flaunting his newfound wealth as a bootlegger in New York, Gerlach threw lavish parties,[8] never wore the same shirt twice,[9] used the phrase "old sport",[4] claimed to be educated at Oxford University,[10] and fostered outlandish myths about himself, including that he was a relation of the German Kaiser.[11] Many of these details about Gerlach inspired Fitzgerald's creation of Jay Gatsby, the titular character of his novel The Great Gatsby.[12]
With the end of prohibition and the onset of the Great Depression in the early 1930s, Gerlach lost his immense wealth.[13] Living in reduced circumstances, he attempted suicide by shooting himself in the head in 1939.[13] Blinded after his suicide attempt, he lived as a helpless invalid for many years.[2] Gerlach died on October 18, 1958, at Bellevue Hospital in New York City.[2] He was buried in a pine casket at Long Island National Cemetery.[2]