George Remus

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Lore & Background

Remus's operation centered on Cincinnati, where he bought up most whiskey manufacturers within a 300-mile radius. He utilized the 'Death Valley Farm' at 2656 Queen City Ave, distilling alcohol in an attic and moving it via dumbwaiter to a basement tunnel entrance. His lavish lifestyle included parties at his 'Marble Palace' mansion; at a June 1923 gathering of fifty guests, he gifted each woman a brand new car. However, his empire collapsed due to betrayal. While imprisoned for two years in Atlanta Federal Penitentiary, he confided in inmate Franklin Dodge, an undercover prohibition agent. Dodge resigned, began an affair with Remus's wife Imogene Holmes, and helped her liquidate the multimillion-dollar assets, leaving Remus with only $100 upon his release.

In Their Own Story

On October 6, 1927, as Remus traveled to court for the finalization of his divorce from Imogene Holmes, he ordered his driver to chase the cab carrying her and their daughter through Eden Park in Cincinnati. The chase ended when they forced the vehicle off the road near the Spring House Gazebo. Remus jumped out and fatally shot Imogene in the abdomen before horrified onlookers. During his subsequent trial, he defended himself with the help of Charles Elston, pleading 'transitory insanity'—a defense he had pioneered years earlier. Prosecutor Charles Phelps Taft II argued against him, but the jury deliberated for only nineteen minutes to acquit Remus. Although the State of Ohio committed him to an insane asylum based on the verdict, prosecutors were thwarted by their own prior claims that he was sane enough to stand trial, and he was released after just seven months.

Reader's Guide

George Remus is historically significant as a figure who inspired characters like Jay Gatsby in 'The Great Gatsby,' though Arnold Rothstein is also cited. In popular culture, he was portrayed by Glenn Fleshler on HBO's 'Boardwalk Empire' starting in its second season, where the character famously refers to himself in the third person. Real-life Remus was known for this quirk as well. After his release from the institution in Lima, he moved to Covington, Kentucky, living modestly with his third wife, Blanche Watson, until a stroke in August 1950 left him bedridden. He died on January 20, 1952, at age 75, and is buried beside his third wife at Riverside Cemetery in Falmouth, Kentucky.

Did You Know?

• Remus pioneered the 'transitory insanity' defense, which evolved into the modern 'temporary insanity' defense.
• He made $40 million in less than three years and employed about 3,000 people during Prohibition.
• At a 1923 party, Remus gave each of the fifty female guests a brand new car as a parting gift.
• While in prison, an undercover agent named Franklin Dodge stole Remus's wife and his fortune.
• Remus was acquitted of murder after a jury deliberated for only nineteen minutes.