Al Capone’s charity work made him popular with the common man
Al Capone is better known for having been the United States’ most wanted criminal. The gangster ran a multi-million-dollar bootlegging, prostitution, and gambling operation that extorted money, bribed officials, and murdered any enemies. That being said, for the people of Chicago, he was a bit of a Robin Hood figure.
He regularly provided support to widows and orphans. Furthermore, he opened up several soup kitchens during the Great Depression. Chicago was particularly hard hit by the crisis, and in 1930, the number of unemployed people in the city reached almost 75,000. In fact, many feared that if he ran for office, he would win.