Al Capone's Connection To Chicago O'Hare Airport

A share in my social feed reminded me of this incredible story that links Chicago O’Hare and Al Capone. It’s really two stories, but stay with me until the end.

Eddie was Al Capone's lawyer. Eddie was rewarded with a mansion that sat on an entire city block for keeping his client out of jail. He was everything that people don't like about a lawyer, wrangling the system without regard to morality as he pursued his client.

“Eddie gave little consideration to the atrocity that went on around him, but he did have one soft spot – a son whom he loved dearly. Eddie saw to it that his young son had nice clothes, cars and a good education. Price was no object.

“And, despite his involvement with organized crime, Eddie even tried to teach his son right from wrong. Eddie wanted his son to be a better man than he was.

Easy Eddie was able to turn state's evidence against Al Capone. He is said to have done this in order to clean up his reputation and give his son some semblance of integrity. He may have been in trouble with the law, but he was able to benefit from the deal.

He was killed by the mob seven years after testifying against Capone.

The poem read: ‘The clock of life is wound but once and no man has the power to tell just when the hands will stop, at late or early hour; now is the only time you own, live, love, toil with a will; place no faith in time for the clock may soon be still.’

The second story is about a pilot in World War II. He was ordered to return to the Lexington after his squadron was sent off because his fuel tank was low. He encountered a squadron of fighters that could have overtaken the ship. He had an engagement on his own.

He fired at the planes until all his ammunition was spent, then dove at the planes, trying to clip a wing or tail. Finally, the Japanese squadron took off in another direction.

Butch O’Hare and his tattered fighter limped back to the carrier. He had destroyed five enemy aircraft and, for that, became the Navy’s first ace of World War II and the first naval aviator to win the Medal of Honor.

The man was killed during aerial combat. His airport is named after him.

There is a connection between Al Capone and the O'Hare airport. Easy Eddie had a son named Butch O'Hare. The name of the field was changed to O'Hare on September 19th 1949.

Credit: Raysonho via Wikimedia Commons