Bumpy Johnson

<h2 id="early-life">Early life</h2>
Ellsworth Raymond "Bumpy" Johnson was born in <a href="/facts/Charleston%2c_South_Carolina/dB8lmPF2">Charleston, South Carolina</a>, on October 31, 1905, to Margaret Moultrie and William Johnson. When he was 10, his older brother Willie was accused of killing a white man. Afraid of a possible <a href="/facts/Lynching/e23NmEsn">lynch mob</a>, his parents mortgaged their tiny home to raise money to send Willie up north to live with relatives.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:1" href="#fn:1">1</a> Johnson's nickname "Bumpy" is derived from a bump on the back of his head.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:2" href="#fn:2">2</a>
As Johnson grew older, his parents worried about his short temper and insolence towards white people, and in 1919, he was sent to live with his older sister Mabel in <a href="/facts/Harlem/AX8IgAxE">Harlem</a>. Johnson dropped out of high school and began working in casual jobs. Gangster William Hewett noticed Johnson, who began working for him and his life of crime.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:3" href="#fn:3">3</a>

<h2 id="career">Career</h2>
Johnson became an associate and enforcer for <a href="/facts/Numbers_game/0fmC0pgS">numbers</a> queen <a href="/facts/Stephanie_St._Clair/7bILjbum">Madame Stephanie St. Clair</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:4" href="#fn:4">4</a> In the 1930s, he quickly climbed the ranks to become her most trusted soldier. St. Clair incited a war with her rival, Jewish mob boss <a href="/facts/Dutch_Schultz/Rm2QXmvq">Dutch Schultz</a>, for control of Harlem's rackets. The war resulted in more than 40 murders and several kidnappings and ended with St. Clair's arrest and imprisonment. Johnson, however, struck a deal with the Mafia after Schultz's 1935 murder through which he quickly built up his own organization in Harlem in exchange for favorable business deals.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:5" href="#fn:5">5</a>
In 1952, Johnson's activities were reported in the celebrity people section of <a href="/facts/Jet_(magazine)/54HGQzTJ">Jet</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:6" href="#fn:6">6</a> That same year, he was sentenced to 15 years in prison for a drug conspiracy conviction related to <a href="/facts/Heroin/rYwrKHPk">heroin</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:7" href="#fn:7">7</a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:8" href="#fn:8">8</a> Two years later, Jet reported in its crime section that Johnson began his sentence after losing an <a href="/facts/Appeal/kJaMAf3p">appeal</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:9" href="#fn:9">9</a> He served the majority of that sentence at <a href="/facts/Alcatraz_Prison/s3qjVXdV">Alcatraz Prison</a> in <a href="/facts/San_Francisco_Bay%2c_California/gupuMeaU">San Francisco Bay, California</a> as inmate No. 1117, and was released in 1963 on parole.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:10" href="#fn:10">10</a>
Johnson was arrested more than 40 times and served two prison terms for narcotics-related charges. In December 1965, Johnson staged a <a href="/facts/Sit-down_strike/DwJU2tBG">sit-down strike</a> in a police station by refusing to leave as a protest against continued police surveillance of black neighborhoods. He was charged with "refusal to leave a police station" but was <a href="/facts/Acquittal/xIpDz685">acquitted</a> by a judge.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:11" href="#fn:11">11</a>

<h2 id="death">Death</h2>
Johnson was under a federal indictment for drug conspiracy when he died of a heart attack on July 7, 1968, at the age of 62. He was at Wells Restaurant in Harlem shortly before 2 a.m., and the waitress had just served him coffee, a chicken leg, and <a href="/facts/Grits/zU6Dh9Tg">hominy grits</a>, when he fell over clutching his chest.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:12" href="#fn:12">12</a> He is buried in <a href="/facts/Woodlawn_Cemetery_(Bronx)/hda9X1NT">Woodlawn Cemetery</a> in The <a href="/facts/The_Bronx/yVMesM0v">Bronx</a>, New York City.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:13" href="#fn:13">13</a>

<h2 id="personal-life">Personal life</h2>
Bumpy Johnson married Mayme Hatcher in October 1948, six months after their first meeting.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:14" href="#fn:14">14</a> Johnson had two daughters, Ruthie and Elease, the latter of whom was from another relationship. His wife died in May 2009, at the age of 94.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:15" href="#fn:15">15</a>

<h2 id="in-popular-culture">In popular culture</h2>
<h3>Film</h3>
<ul><li>In the 1971 film <a href="/facts/Shaft_(1971_film)/tbtqsJYJ">Shaft</a> and its 1973 sequel <a href="/facts/Shaft%2527s_Big_Score!/Nk0LPa9o">Shaft's Big Score!</a>, <a href="/facts/Moses_Gunn/BoDB6wjD">Moses Gunn</a> portrays "Bumpy Jonas," a character based upon Johnson.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:16" href="#fn:16">16</a></li>
<li>In the 1972 film <a href="/facts/Come_Back%2c_Charleston_Blue/yMyLtEy2">Come Back, Charleston Blue</a>, the title character is loosely based on Bumpy Johnson, a criminal who is looked upon as a positive role model among the people.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:17" href="#fn:17">17</a></li>
<li>In the 1979 film <a href="/facts/Escape_from_Alcatraz_(film)/M9QNy2bU">Escape from Alcatraz</a>, <a href="/facts/Paul_Benjamin/sCGJ5skj">Paul Benjamin</a> plays a character based on Bumpy Johnson, "English".<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:18" href="#fn:18">18</a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:19" href="#fn:19">19</a></li>
<li>In the 1984 film <a href="/facts/The_Cotton_Club_(film)/35sAtJk2">The Cotton Club</a>, <a href="/facts/Laurence_Fishburne/gkl30hlM">Laurence Fishburne</a> plays a character based on Bumpy Johnson, "Bumpy Rhodes".<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:20" href="#fn:20">20</a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:21" href="#fn:21">21</a></li>
<li>In the 1997 film <a href="/facts/Hoodlum_(film)/xgPrcoEc">Hoodlum</a>, Johnson is again portrayed by Fishburne.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:22" href="#fn:22">22</a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:23" href="#fn:23">23</a></li>
<li>In the 1999 film <a href="/facts/Life_(1999_film)/mFq9f6l9">Life</a>, Actor <a href="/facts/Clarence_Williams_III/rFHl7j1W">Clarence Williams III</a> plays a Harlem gangster, "Spanky Johnson," who was loosely inspired by Bumpy Johnson.</li>
<li>In the 2007 film <a href="/facts/American_Gangster_(film)/kkvkQSwD">American Gangster</a>, Johnson is again portrayed by <a href="/facts/Clarence_Williams_III/rFHl7j1W">Clarence Williams III</a>.</li>
<li>In the 2018 <a href="/facts/Netflix/TKtlFVY9">Netflix</a> documentary series <a href="/facts/Drug_Lords/g9pE7vla">Drug Lords</a>, Johnson was featured in the third episode of the first season.</li></ul>
<h3>Television</h3>
<ul><li>In an episode of <a href="/facts/Unsolved_Mysteries/pMBzMqFQ">Unsolved Mysteries</a>, it is reported that Johnson allegedly helped the <a href="/facts/June_1962_Alcatraz_escape/d1Pzd8nX">three escapees</a> of <a href="/facts/Alcatraz/er0KEvYf">Alcatraz</a> get to the shores of <a href="/facts/San_Francisco/cb9l7hbC">San Francisco</a>. It is said that he arranged for a boat to pick the three men up out of the bay. The boat then dropped the escapees off at Pier 13 in San Francisco's <a href="/facts/Hunters_Point%2c_San_Francisco%2c_California/VDEpAah7">Hunters Point</a> District.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:24" href="#fn:24">24</a></li>
<li>In the second episode of the third season of <a href="/facts/HBO/gGSPvEEu">HBO</a>'s <a href="/facts/The_Wire/IoEzgIPK">The Wire</a>, "<a href="/facts/All_Due_Respect_(The_Wire)/WEU1fRgC">All Due Respect</a>", Bumpy is mentioned just before Tree (dealer for <a href="/facts/Cheese_Wagstaff/f5JYmuQd">Cheese Wagstaff</a>) kills Jelly over a dog fight in which Cheese's dog lost. Three low-level gangsters discuss an incident when Bumpy allegedly attacked a police station single-handedly. This is expanded upon in <a href="/facts/Richard_Price_(writer)/bSmfCWP4">Richard Price</a>'s audio commentary for that episode.</li>
<li>Cable network <a href="/facts/Epix/fCPA1jLu">Epix</a> (now MGM+) premiered the crime drama television series <a href="/facts/Godfather_of_Harlem/cVYN3ogY">Godfather of Harlem</a> in Fall 2019. <a href="/facts/Forest_Whitaker/vbXCH9Tg">Forest Whitaker</a> plays Johnson. The series was created by <a href="/facts/Executive_producer/HYuzvKSI">executive producers</a> Markuann Smith, <a href="/facts/Chris_Brancato/65WUAPjc">Chris Brancato</a> and Paul Eckstein, who are producing with <a href="/facts/ABC_Signature_Studios/yESK1NP1">ABC Signature Studios</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:25" href="#fn:25">25</a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:26" href="#fn:26">26</a></li></ul>
<h3>Music</h3>
<ul><li><a href="/facts/Prodigy_(rapper)/qeRK8q4N">Prodigy</a> titled his first full release after his release from prison in 2011 <a href="/facts/The_Ellsworth_Bumpy_Johnson_EP/YHf04oSn">The Ellsworth Bumpy Johnson EP</a>, which was followed by <a href="/facts/The_Bumpy_Johnson_Album/TInIAynl">The Bumpy Johnson Album</a>.</li>
<li><a href="/facts/Central_Cee/1663Sdl7">Central Cee</a> released an EP in 2022 titled No More Leaks which featured a track titled "Bumpy Johnson".<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:27" href="#fn:27">27</a></li></ul>
<h3>Gaming</h3>
<ul><li>The character of Sammy Robinson in <a href="/facts/Mafia_III/6NleGurd">Mafia III</a> was partially inspired by Ellsworth Johnson. The kingpin who protagonist Lincoln Clay becomes is also largely inspired by Bumpy Johnson, along with people like <a href="/facts/Frank_Lucas/Bccyt4WB">Frank Lucas</a> and <a href="/facts/Nicky_Barnes/9zIdT4CH">Nicky Barnes</a>.</li></ul>
<h2 id="see-also">See also</h2>
<ul><li><a href="/facts/Frank_Lucas/Bccyt4WB">Frank Lucas</a></li></ul>

<h2 id="external-links">External links</h2>
<ul>
<li>Biography portal</li></ul>
<ul><li><a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/0967602831">Harlem Godfather: The Rap on My Husband, Ellsworth "Bumpy" Johnson - by Mayme Hatcher Johnson</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/22790696">Bumpy Johnson</a> at <a href="/facts/Find_a_Grave/oRU854B1">Find a Grave</a></li>
<li>Infinite MagaZine <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cv0cR81fe4I">Harlem Godfather Bumpy Johnson pt.1</a> on <a href="/facts/YouTube_video_(identifier)/db276jst">YouTube</a> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I8fbMo5Hu2M">Harlem Godfather pt.2</a> on <a href="/facts/YouTube_video_(identifier)/db276jst">YouTube</a> Documentary</li>
<li>John Howard Johnson. Fact not fiction in Harlem (1980 ed.). Northern Type Printing, Inc. p. 119. <a href="/facts/ASIN_(identifier)/twP2MtLk">ASIN</a> <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00072X07G">B00072X07G</a>.</li>
<li>Mayme Hatcher Johnson (2008). Harlem Godfather: The Rap on my Husband, Ellsworth "Bumpy" Johnson (when ed.). Oshun Publishing Company, Inc.; First edition (February 29, 2008). p. 248. <a href="/facts/ISBN_(identifier)/15AdSPa9">ISBN</a> 978-0-9676028-3-7.</li></ul>

<h2 id="references">References</h2>

<ol>
<li id="fn:1">Harlem Godfather: The Rap on My Husband, Ellsworth "Bumpy" Johnson <a href="#fnref:1" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:2">Tyler, Gus (1967) [1962]. Organized crime in America: a book of readings. Ann Arbor, Michigan: University of Michigan Press. p. 242. ISBN 978-0-472-06127-3. OCLC 247980358. Retrieved March 27, 2011. <a href="978-0-472-06127-3" target="_blank">978-0-472-06127-3</a> <a href="#fnref:2" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:3">"Bumpy Johnson". Biography. Retrieved April 8, 2020. <a href="https://www.biography.com/crime-figure/bumpy-johnson" target="_blank">https://www.biography.com/crime-figure/bumpy-johnson</a> <a href="#fnref:3" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:4">"Queenie and Bumpy". crimelibrary. 2007. Archived from the original on April 17, 2008. Retrieved April 9, 2008. <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080417012731/http://www.crimelibrary.com/gangsters_outlaws/gang/harlem_gangs/5.html" target="_blank">https://web.archive.org/web/20080417012731/http://www.crimelibrary.com/gangsters_outlaws/gang/harlem_gangs/5.html</a> <a href="#fnref:4" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:5">Watson, Elwood (February 13, 2008). "Ellsworth 'Bumpy' Johnson (1906-1968)". Blackpast.org. Retrieved April 8, 2020. <a href="https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/johnson-ellsworth-bumpy-1906-1968/" target="_blank">https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/johnson-ellsworth-bumpy-1906-1968/</a> <a href="#fnref:5" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:6">"People". Jet. 1952. <a href="/wiki/Jet_(magazine)" target="_blank">/wiki/Jet_(magazine)</a> <a href="#fnref:6" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:7">"The Fascinating Story Of Mob Boss Bumpy Johnson". Casino.org. May 8, 2022. Retrieved September 26, 2022. <a href="https://www.casino.org/blog/bumpy-johnson/" target="_blank">https://www.casino.org/blog/bumpy-johnson/</a> <a href="#fnref:7" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:8">"The True Story Behind Godfather of Harlem". Time. September 26, 2019. <a href="https://time.com/5679371/godfather-of-harlem-true-story/" target="_blank">https://time.com/5679371/godfather-of-harlem-true-story/</a> <a href="#fnref:8" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:9">"Crime". Jet. Vol. 5, no. 9. January 7, 1954. p. 49. ISSN 0021-5996. Retrieved March 27, 2011. <a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=378DAAAAMBAJ&q=Ellsworth+Johnson+%22bumpy%22&pg=PA49" target="_blank">https://books.google.com/books?id=378DAAAAMBAJ&q=Ellsworth+Johnson+%22bumpy%22&pg=PA49</a> <a href="#fnref:9" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:10">[1] Archived December 13, 2010, at the Wayback Machine <a href="https://www.archives.gov/pacific/archives/san-francisco/finding-aids/alcatraz-numeric.html#d" target="_blank">https://www.archives.gov/pacific/archives/san-francisco/finding-aids/alcatraz-numeric.html#d</a> <a href="#fnref:10" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:11">John Howard Johnson (1980). Fact Not fiction in Harlem. Northern Type Printing, Inc. p. 119. ASIN B00072X07G.p.103+ <a href="/wiki/ASIN_(identifier)" target="_blank">/wiki/ASIN_(identifier)</a> <a href="#fnref:11" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:12">Harlem Godfather: The Rap on My Husband, Ellsworth "Bumpy" Johnson <a href="#fnref:12" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:13">"'Bumpy' Johnson, Gangster born". African American Registry. Retrieved April 19, 2025. <a href="https://aaregistry.org/story/bumpy-johnson-born/#:~:text=He%20was%20taken%20by%20ambulance,The%20Bronx,%20New%20York%20City." target="_blank">https://aaregistry.org/story/bumpy-johnson-born/#:~:text=He%20was%20taken%20by%20ambulance,The%20Bronx,%20New%20York%20City.</a> <a href="#fnref:13" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:14">"[Video] Mayme Hatcher Johnson: Wife of Notorious Harlem Gangster Ellsworth". Black Then. November 13, 2017. Retrieved April 8, 2020. <a href="http://blackthen.com/video-mayme-hatcher-johnson-wife-notorious-harlem-gangster-ellsworth-bumpy-johnson/" target="_blank">http://blackthen.com/video-mayme-hatcher-johnson-wife-notorious-harlem-gangster-ellsworth-bumpy-johnson/</a> <a href="#fnref:14" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:15">"Mayme Hatcher Johnson, Author and Widow of Harlem Gangster Bumpy Johnson, dead at 94". BlackRadioNetwork. Archived from the original on April 8, 2020. Retrieved April 8, 2020. <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20200408012706/https://www.blackradionetwork.com/mayme_hatcher_johnson_author_and_widow_of_harlem_gangster_bumpy_johnson_dead_at_94" target="_blank">https://web.archive.org/web/20200408012706/https://www.blackradionetwork.com/mayme_hatcher_johnson_author_and_widow_of_harlem_gangster_bumpy_johnson_dead_at_94</a> <a href="#fnref:15" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:16">Queenan, Joe (November 17, 2007). "Joe Queenan on 'Bumpy' Johnson, the most feared criminal in 1930s Harlem". The Guardian. London. Retrieved April 5, 2018. <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/film/2007/nov/17/5" target="_blank">https://www.theguardian.com/film/2007/nov/17/5</a> <a href="#fnref:16" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:17">"Bumpy Johnson Profile - Famous Bookmaker and Mob Boss from New York City". www.gamblingsites.org. <a href="https://www.gamblingsites.org/biographies/bumpy-johnson/" target="_blank">https://www.gamblingsites.org/biographies/bumpy-johnson/</a> <a href="#fnref:17" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:18">Denene Millner (August 24, 1997). "FROM HARLEM TO 'HOODLUM' MEET THE BLACK MOBSTER WHOSE 'BUMPY' LIFE OF CRIME IS NOW A NEW MOVIE". Daily News. New York. Retrieved April 5, 2018. <a href="http://www.nydailynews.com/harlem-hoodlum-meet-black-mobster-bumpy-life-crime-new-movie-article-1.782536" target="_blank">http://www.nydailynews.com/harlem-hoodlum-meet-black-mobster-bumpy-life-crime-new-movie-article-1.782536</a> <a href="#fnref:18" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:19">"Ellsworth Raymond 'Bumpy' Johnson - On this day..." dayshistory.wordpress.com. Retrieved April 5, 2018. <a href="https://dayshistory.wordpress.com/tag/ellsworth-raymond-bumpy-johnson/" target="_blank">https://dayshistory.wordpress.com/tag/ellsworth-raymond-bumpy-johnson/</a> <a href="#fnref:19" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:20">Hunter, Stephen (August 27, 1997). "'HOODLUM' AIMS HIGH IF NOT ALWAYS TRUE". The Washington Post. Retrieved April 5, 2018. <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1997/08/27/hoodlum-aims-high-if-not-always-true/823ce9f0-8e8b-496f-979f-9d2f193cf8ad/" target="_blank">https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1997/08/27/hoodlum-aims-high-if-not-always-true/823ce9f0-8e8b-496f-979f-9d2f193cf8ad/</a> <a href="#fnref:20" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:21">Queenan, Joe (November 17, 2007). "Joe Queenan on 'Bumpy' Johnson, the most feared criminal in 1930s Harlem". The Guardian. London. Retrieved April 5, 2018. <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/film/2007/nov/17/5" target="_blank">https://www.theguardian.com/film/2007/nov/17/5</a> <a href="#fnref:21" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:22">Hunter, Stephen (August 27, 1997). "'HOODLUM' AIMS HIGH IF NOT ALWAYS TRUE". The Washington Post. Retrieved April 5, 2018. <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1997/08/27/hoodlum-aims-high-if-not-always-true/823ce9f0-8e8b-496f-979f-9d2f193cf8ad/" target="_blank">https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1997/08/27/hoodlum-aims-high-if-not-always-true/823ce9f0-8e8b-496f-979f-9d2f193cf8ad/</a> <a href="#fnref:22" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:23">Queenan, Joe (November 17, 2007). "Joe Queenan on 'Bumpy' Johnson, the most feared criminal in 1930s Harlem". The Guardian. London. Retrieved April 5, 2018. <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/film/2007/nov/17/5" target="_blank">https://www.theguardian.com/film/2007/nov/17/5</a> <a href="#fnref:23" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:24">"Alcatraz Escape - Unsolved Mysteries". Retrieved April 5, 2018. <a href="https://unsolved.com/gallery/alcatraz-escape/" target="_blank">https://unsolved.com/gallery/alcatraz-escape/</a> <a href="#fnref:24" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:25">Petski, Denise (April 25, 2018). "Forest Whitaker To Topline Straight-To-Series Crime Drama At Epix". Deadline. Retrieved April 25, 2018. <a href="https://deadline.com/2018/04/forest-whitaker-star-straight-to-series-crime-drama-epix-1202376800/" target="_blank">https://deadline.com/2018/04/forest-whitaker-star-straight-to-series-crime-drama-epix-1202376800/</a> <a href="#fnref:25" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:26">D'Addario, Daniel (September 9, 2019). "TV Review: 'Godfather of Harlem'". Variety. Retrieved December 5, 2019. <a href="https://variety.com/2019/tv/reviews/godfather-of-harlem-forest-whitaker-1203316597/" target="_blank">https://variety.com/2019/tv/reviews/godfather-of-harlem-forest-whitaker-1203316597/</a> <a href="#fnref:26" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:27">"Central Cee Drops Surprise 'No More Leaks' EP, Leads With "One Up" Video". Complex. Retrieved October 16, 2022. <a href="https://www.complex.com/music/central-cee-no-more-leaks" target="_blank">https://www.complex.com/music/central-cee-no-more-leaks</a> <a href="#fnref:27" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
</ol>

Bumpy Johnson open-in-new

Bumpy Johnson