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Melvin Purvis

October 16, 2023

Melvin Horace Purvis II (October 24, 1903 – February 29, 1960) was an American law enforcement official and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agent. Given the nickname "Little Mel" because of his short, 5 ft 4 in (163 cm) frame, Purvis became noted for leading the manhunts that captured or killed bank robbers such as Baby Face Nelson, John Dillinger, and Pretty Boy Floyd, but his high public profile was resented by local law enforcement. Purvis asserted he had killed Floyd single-handed, others variously claimed that Floyd had been already wounded, or even that Purvis had ordered Floyd summarily shot dead for refusing to provide information.

Melvin Purvis
Born
Melvin Horace Purvis II

(1903-10-24)October 24, 1903
Timmonsville, South Carolina, United States
DiedFebruary 29, 1960(1960-02-29) (aged 56)
Florence, South Carolina, United States
Cause of deathGunshot wound
Resting placeMount Hope Cemetery
NationalityAmerican
EducationUniversity of South Carolina School of Law
EmployerFBI
Known forLeading the investigation on the John Dillinger case
Height5 ft 4 in (163 cm)
Spouse
Marie Rosanne Willcox
​
​
(m. 1938⁠–⁠1960)​
ChildrenMelvin Horace Purvis III (1940–1986)
Philip Alston Willcox Purvis (b. 1943)
Christopher Peronneau Purvis (1950–1984)

Purvis had the reputation of torturing recalcitrant interviewees. Roger Touhy, a minor-league gangster who was arrested for fund-raising kidnappings during his conflict with the Chicago outfit, alleged he suffered the loss of 25 pounds (11 kg) of body weight and several teeth plus broken vertebrae due to being beaten every time he fell asleep during weeks of questioning by Purvis's men. Purvis became the FBI's golden boy, having captured more of designated public enemies than any other agent, but found himself sidelined after he began to enjoy better press than J. Edgar Hoover.[1][2]

Early life Edit

Purvis was born in Timmonsville, South Carolina, to Melvin Horace Purvis, Sr. (1869–1938), a tobacco farmer and businessman, and Janie Elizabeth (née Mims, 1874–1927); he was the fifth of eight siblings.[3][4]

Career Edit

Purvis was a well-educated man, and known to be a crack shot.[5] He received his law degree from the University of South Carolina School of Law and had a brief career as a lawyer.[6] Purvis was a member of the Kappa Alpha Order while attending South Carolina. He joined the FBI in 1927 and headed the Division of Investigation offices in Birmingham, Oklahoma City, and Cincinnati. In 1932, he was placed in charge of the Chicago office by Bureau of Investigation Director J. Edgar Hoover.[citation needed] He eventually led an investigation into the crash of United Airlines Trip 23, which uncovered foul play as the cause of the crash.[7]

Purvis led the manhunts that tracked outlaws Baby Face Nelson and Pretty Boy Floyd, and most famously John Dillinger, which ended in Chicago on July 22, 1934. However, after Purvis became a media figure for this feat, Hoover claimed that Purvis had been demoted and agent Samuel P. Cowley had been put in charge of the Dillinger case.[8] Cowley was later shot by Baby Face Nelson, and Purvis visited him in the hospital shortly before he died. Purvis was praised for his actions.[9] He reportedly incurred the wrath of Hoover, who had previously supported him but now supposedly felt overshadowed. In a 2005 book co-written by Purvis's son Alston, Hoover is portrayed as jealous of the attention given to Purvis after Dillinger was killed.[10]

Purvis resigned from the FBI in 1935 and afterwards practiced law.[11] In 1937, he became engaged to actress Janice Jarratt, but they never married.[12][13][14] He later married Marie Rosanne Willcox, and they had three sons.[15] In 1936, Purvis published a memoir of his years as an investigator with the Bureau, entitled American Agent.[16]

Purvis became a Master Mason in Hampton Lodge No. 204, A.F.M. in 1947.

Purvis served in the United States Army as an intelligence officer during World War II, reaching the rank of colonel.[17] He assisted with compiling evidence against Nazi leaders in the Nuremberg trials.[18]

Death Edit

On February 29, 1960, Purvis was at his home in Florence, South Carolina, when he died from a gunshot wound to the head;[19] the shot was fired from the pistol that was given to him by fellow agents when he resigned from the FBI. The FBI investigated his death and declared it a suicide, although the official coroner's report did not label the cause of death as such. A later investigation suggested that Purvis may have shot himself accidentally[19] while trying to extract a tracer bullet.[15] He was 56 years old.

Other media Edit

In documentaries Edit

  • Purvis was portrayed by Dale Robertson in G-MAN: The Rise and Fall of Melvin Purvis (1974), from SCETV's Carolina Stories documentary series (1974).[20][21]
  • Purvis was portrayed by Scott Brooks in the History Channel documentary on infamous gangsters, Crime Wave: 18 Months of Mayhem (2008).
  • Purvis was portrayed by actor Colin Price in the 2016 television series American Lawmen (S1E3): "Melvin Purvis: The Gang Buster" which aired on the American Heroes Channel[22]

In films and TV movies Edit

In games Edit

In 1937, Parker Brothers published a game called "Melvin Purvis' 'G'-Men Detective Game."[23]

In literature Edit

In television Edit

References Edit

  1. ^ "Melvin H. Purvis, FBI file #67-7489". Federal Bureau of Investigation. Retrieved July 23, 2013.
  2. ^ "The John Dillinger Story: Little Bohemia 2006-12-22 at the Wayback Machine, Crime Library; accessed January 15, 2018.
  3. ^ South Carolina Death Records, 1821-1955; "Melvin H Purvis Sr."; died on 16 January 1938.
  4. ^ Purvis, Alston; Tresinowski, Alex (2005). The Vendetta: FBI Hero Melvin Purvis's War Against Crime and J. Edgar Hoover's War Against Him. Public Affairs. ISBN 1-58648-301-3.
  5. ^ . Archived from the original on 2010-05-04. Retrieved 2010-04-04.
  6. ^ . Time. November 23, 1936. Archived from the original on December 14, 2008. Retrieved 2008-04-21. Slight (127 lb.), wiry, red-haired and superstitious, he studied law at the University of South Carolina, practiced for two years, went to Washington in 1927 seeking a post in the State Department, got one in the Bureau of Investigation.
  7. ^ Sherman, Ted (2013-09-30). "United 23 took off from New Jersey 80 years ago; its midair explosion remains a mystery". NJ.com.
  8. ^ FBI Famous Cases, FBI.Gov 2009-09-19 at the Wayback Machine
  9. ^ Melvin Purvis acting as spokesman for Dodge automobiles 2011-07-22 at the Wayback Machine, Good Housekeeping magazine, April 1936.
  10. ^ Purvis, Alston; Tresinowski, Alex (2005). The Vendetta: FBI Hero Melvin Purvis's War Against Crime and J. Edgar Hoover's War Against Him. Public Affairs. ISBN 1-58648-301-3.
  11. ^ "Gangsters' Foe Resigns. Melvin Purvis Leaves His Department of Justice Post in Chicago". Los Angeles Times. July 13, 1935. Retrieved 2008-04-20. Melvin Purvis, nemesis of some of the country's most notorious public enemies, including the late John Dillinger, has resigned his position as head of the Chicago office of the Department of Justice.
  12. ^ . Time. May 10, 1937. Archived from the original on December 14, 2008. Retrieved 2008-04-21. Engagement Broken. Between Melvin Horace Purvis Jr., 34, famed onetime G-Man who now practices law in San Francisco; and beauteous Janice ("Toots") Jarratt, cinemactress, onetime Lucky Strike model, "Sweetheart of the Texas Centennial"; in San Antonio, Tex., three days before the wedding date.
  13. ^ "Melvin Purvis to Wed Janice Jarratt, Actress". Washington Post. March 18, 1937. Retrieved 2008-04-20.
  14. ^ "Purvis and Actress Part. Wedding to Miss Jarratt Is Off, Former G-Man Heads for Coast". New York Times. April 28, 1937. Retrieved 2008-04-20. Janice Jarratt and Melvin Purvis went their separate ways tonight, both noncommittal on the sudden postponement of their marriage only two days before their wedding date.
  15. ^ a b "People & Events: Melvin Purvis, 1903-1960". American Experience. Retrieved 2008-04-20.
  16. ^ Purvis, Melvin (1936). American Agent. Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, Doran & Co. OCLC 612771326.
  17. ^ McCombs, Don; Worth, Fred L. (1994). World War II: 4,139 Strange and Fascinating Facts. Wings Books. p. 481. ISBN 9780517422861.
  18. ^ What They Didn't Teach You About World War II. Simon & Schuster. 2002. p. 78. ISBN 9780743445139.
  19. ^ a b "Melvin Purvis" (Collection). Encyclopedia of World Biography Online. Gale. 31. 2011. Retrieved 9 September 2021.
  20. ^ . SCETV. April 4, 1074. Archived from the original on November 28, 2010.
  21. ^ "Melvin Purvis G-MAN". IMDb. April 4, 1974.
  22. ^ Colin Price (March 2, 2016). "Melvin Purvis: The Gang Buster". American Lawmen (2016– ). Season 1. American Heroes Channel.
  23. ^ Melvin Purvis game at BoardGameGeek
  24. ^ "Soul of a Whore and Purvis".
  25. ^ To Tell The Truth, Youtube, September 24, 1957.

Further reading Edit

  • Potter, Claire (1998). War on Crime: Bandits, G-Men, and the Politics of Mass Culture. Rutgers University Press. ISBN 0-8135-2487-3.
  • Purvis, Alston; Tresinowski, Alex (2005). The Vendetta: FBI Hero Melvin Purvis's War Against Crime and J. Edgar Hoover's War Against Him. Public Affairs. ISBN 1-58648-301-3.
  • J. Edgar Hoover: The Man and the Secrets, by Curt Gentry (1991).
  • Official and Confidential: The Secret Life of J. Edgar Hoover, by Anthony Summers, Putnam (1993).
  • FBI Records: The Vault - Melvin Purvis, Federal Bureau of Investigation, June 12, 2018
  • Dillinger, The Hidden Truth-Reloaded: Gangster's and G-Men of the Great Depression, by Tony Stewart, Lulu Publishing (2010).

External links Edit

October 16, 2023
melvin, purvis, melvin, horace, purvis, october, 1903, february, 1960, american, enforcement, official, federal, bureau, investigation, agent, given, nickname, little, because, short, frame, purvis, became, noted, leading, manhunts, that, captured, killed, ban. Melvin Horace Purvis II October 24 1903 February 29 1960 was an American law enforcement official and Federal Bureau of Investigation FBI agent Given the nickname Little Mel because of his short 5 ft 4 in 163 cm frame Purvis became noted for leading the manhunts that captured or killed bank robbers such as Baby Face Nelson John Dillinger and Pretty Boy Floyd but his high public profile was resented by local law enforcement Purvis asserted he had killed Floyd single handed others variously claimed that Floyd had been already wounded or even that Purvis had ordered Floyd summarily shot dead for refusing to provide information Melvin PurvisBornMelvin Horace Purvis II 1903 10 24 October 24 1903Timmonsville South Carolina United StatesDiedFebruary 29 1960 1960 02 29 aged 56 Florence South Carolina United StatesCause of deathGunshot woundResting placeMount Hope CemeteryNationalityAmericanEducationUniversity of South Carolina School of LawEmployerFBIKnown forLeading the investigation on the John Dillinger caseHeight5 ft 4 in 163 cm SpouseMarie Rosanne Willcox m 1938 1960 wbr ChildrenMelvin Horace Purvis III 1940 1986 Philip Alston Willcox Purvis b 1943 Christopher Peronneau Purvis 1950 1984 Purvis had the reputation of torturing recalcitrant interviewees Roger Touhy a minor league gangster who was arrested for fund raising kidnappings during his conflict with the Chicago outfit alleged he suffered the loss of 25 pounds 11 kg of body weight and several teeth plus broken vertebrae due to being beaten every time he fell asleep during weeks of questioning by Purvis s men Purvis became the FBI s golden boy having captured more of designated public enemies than any other agent but found himself sidelined after he began to enjoy better press than J Edgar Hoover 1 2 Contents 1 Early life 2 Career 3 Death 4 Other media 4 1 In documentaries 4 2 In films and TV movies 4 3 In games 4 4 In literature 4 5 In television 5 References 6 Further reading 7 External linksEarly life EditPurvis was born in Timmonsville South Carolina to Melvin Horace Purvis Sr 1869 1938 a tobacco farmer and businessman and Janie Elizabeth nee Mims 1874 1927 he was the fifth of eight siblings 3 4 Career EditPurvis was a well educated man and known to be a crack shot 5 He received his law degree from the University of South Carolina School of Law and had a brief career as a lawyer 6 Purvis was a member of the Kappa Alpha Order while attending South Carolina He joined the FBI in 1927 and headed the Division of Investigation offices in Birmingham Oklahoma City and Cincinnati In 1932 he was placed in charge of the Chicago office by Bureau of Investigation Director J Edgar Hoover citation needed He eventually led an investigation into the crash of United Airlines Trip 23 which uncovered foul play as the cause of the crash 7 Purvis led the manhunts that tracked outlaws Baby Face Nelson and Pretty Boy Floyd and most famously John Dillinger which ended in Chicago on July 22 1934 However after Purvis became a media figure for this feat Hoover claimed that Purvis had been demoted and agent Samuel P Cowley had been put in charge of the Dillinger case 8 Cowley was later shot by Baby Face Nelson and Purvis visited him in the hospital shortly before he died Purvis was praised for his actions 9 He reportedly incurred the wrath of Hoover who had previously supported him but now supposedly felt overshadowed In a 2005 book co written by Purvis s son Alston Hoover is portrayed as jealous of the attention given to Purvis after Dillinger was killed 10 Purvis resigned from the FBI in 1935 and afterwards practiced law 11 In 1937 he became engaged to actress Janice Jarratt but they never married 12 13 14 He later married Marie Rosanne Willcox and they had three sons 15 In 1936 Purvis published a memoir of his years as an investigator with the Bureau entitled American Agent 16 Purvis became a Master Mason in Hampton Lodge No 204 A F M in 1947 Purvis served in the United States Army as an intelligence officer during World War II reaching the rank of colonel 17 He assisted with compiling evidence against Nazi leaders in the Nuremberg trials 18 Death EditOn February 29 1960 Purvis was at his home in Florence South Carolina when he died from a gunshot wound to the head 19 the shot was fired from the pistol that was given to him by fellow agents when he resigned from the FBI The FBI investigated his death and declared it a suicide although the official coroner s report did not label the cause of death as such A later investigation suggested that Purvis may have shot himself accidentally 19 while trying to extract a tracer bullet 15 He was 56 years old Other media EditIn documentaries Edit Purvis was portrayed by Dale Robertson in G MAN The Rise and Fall of Melvin Purvis 1974 from SCETV s Carolina Stories documentary series 1974 20 21 Purvis was portrayed by Scott Brooks in the History Channel documentary on infamous gangsters Crime Wave 18 Months of Mayhem 2008 Purvis was portrayed by actor Colin Price in the 2016 television series American Lawmen S1E3 Melvin Purvis The Gang Buster which aired on the American Heroes Channel 22 In films and TV movies Edit Purvis was portrayed by Ben Johnson in the film Dillinger 1973 Melvin Purvis G Man is a 1974 American TV movie about Melvin Purvis starring Dale Robertson He was played by Geoffrey Binney in the TV movie The Story of Pretty Boy Floyd 1974 Purvis was portrayed again by Dale Robertson in the TV movie The Kansas City Massacre 1975 a sequel to Melvin Purvis G Man He was portrayed by Michael Sacks in the film The Private Files of J Edgar Hoover 1977 He was portrayed by Alan Vint in the film The Lady in Red 1979 He was portrayed by Will Patton in the TV movie Dillinger 1991 Purvis was originally portrayed by Chuck Wagner in the musical Dillinger Public Enemy Number One 2002 Purvis is portrayed by Christian Bale in the film Public Enemies 2009 In games Edit In 1937 Parker Brothers published a game called Melvin Purvis G Men Detective Game 23 In literature Edit Purvis appears with Eliot Ness as an agent of the Federal Bureau of Ideology in pursuit of labor activist Tom Joad in Kim Newman s alternate history novel Back in the USSA 1997 Purvis is the title character in Denis Johnson s play Purvis 24 In television Edit Purvis appeared as a contestant on the game show To Tell the Truth aired September 24 1957 25 References Edit Melvin H Purvis FBI file 67 7489 Federal Bureau of Investigation Retrieved July 23 2013 The John Dillinger Story Little Bohemia Archived 2006 12 22 at the Wayback Machine Crime Library accessed January 15 2018 South Carolina Death Records 1821 1955 Melvin H Purvis Sr died on 16 January 1938 Purvis Alston Tresinowski Alex 2005 The Vendetta FBI Hero Melvin Purvis s War Against Crime and J Edgar Hoover s War Against Him Public Affairs ISBN 1 58648 301 3 John Dillinger Museum Melvin Purvis Archived from the original on 2010 05 04 Retrieved 2010 04 04 American Agent Melvin H Purvis Doubleday Doran 2 75 Time November 23 1936 Archived from the original on December 14 2008 Retrieved 2008 04 21 Slight 127 lb wiry red haired and superstitious he studied law at the University of South Carolina practiced for two years went to Washington in 1927 seeking a post in the State Department got one in the Bureau of Investigation Sherman Ted 2013 09 30 United 23 took off from New Jersey 80 years ago its midair explosion remains a mystery NJ com FBI Famous Cases FBI Gov Archived 2009 09 19 at the Wayback Machine Melvin Purvis acting as spokesman for Dodge automobiles Archived 2011 07 22 at the Wayback Machine Good Housekeeping magazine April 1936 Purvis Alston Tresinowski Alex 2005 The Vendetta FBI Hero Melvin Purvis s War Against Crime and J Edgar Hoover s War Against Him Public Affairs ISBN 1 58648 301 3 Gangsters Foe Resigns Melvin Purvis Leaves His Department of Justice Post in Chicago Los Angeles Times July 13 1935 Retrieved 2008 04 20 Melvin Purvis nemesis of some of the country s most notorious public enemies including the late John Dillinger has resigned his position as head of the Chicago office of the Department of Justice Milestones Time May 10 1937 Archived from the original on December 14 2008 Retrieved 2008 04 21 Engagement Broken Between Melvin Horace Purvis Jr 34 famed onetime G Man who now practices law in San Francisco and beauteous Janice Toots Jarratt cinemactress onetime Lucky Strike model Sweetheart of the Texas Centennial in San Antonio Tex three days before the wedding date Melvin Purvis to Wed Janice Jarratt Actress Washington Post March 18 1937 Retrieved 2008 04 20 Purvis and Actress Part Wedding to Miss Jarratt Is Off Former G Man Heads for Coast New York Times April 28 1937 Retrieved 2008 04 20 Janice Jarratt and Melvin Purvis went their separate ways tonight both noncommittal on the sudden postponement of their marriage only two days before their wedding date a b People amp Events Melvin Purvis 1903 1960 American Experience Retrieved 2008 04 20 Purvis Melvin 1936 American Agent Garden City N Y Doubleday Doran amp Co OCLC 612771326 McCombs Don Worth Fred L 1994 World War II 4 139 Strange and Fascinating Facts Wings Books p 481 ISBN 9780517422861 What They Didn t Teach You About World War II Simon amp Schuster 2002 p 78 ISBN 9780743445139 a b Melvin Purvis Collection Encyclopedia of World Biography Online Gale 31 2011 Retrieved 9 September 2021 G MAN The Rise and Fall of Melvin Purvis SCETV April 4 1074 Archived from the original on November 28 2010 Melvin Purvis G MAN IMDb April 4 1974 Colin Price March 2 2016 Melvin Purvis The Gang Buster American Lawmen 2016 Season 1 American Heroes Channel Melvin Purvis game at BoardGameGeek Soul of a Whore and Purvis To Tell The Truth Youtube September 24 1957 Further reading EditOne Account of the Death of Pretty Boy Floyd Potter Claire 1998 War on Crime Bandits G Men and the Politics of Mass Culture Rutgers University Press ISBN 0 8135 2487 3 Purvis Alston Tresinowski Alex 2005 The Vendetta FBI Hero Melvin Purvis s War Against Crime and J Edgar Hoover s War Against Him Public Affairs ISBN 1 58648 301 3 J Edgar Hoover The Man and the Secrets by Curt Gentry 1991 Official and Confidential The Secret Life of J Edgar Hoover by Anthony Summers Putnam 1993 FBI Records The Vault Melvin Purvis Federal Bureau of Investigation June 12 2018 Dillinger The Hidden Truth Reloaded Gangster s and G Men of the Great Depression by Tony Stewart Lulu Publishing 2010 External links EditMelvin Purvis at Find a Grave Melvin Purvis at IMDb Melvin Purvis at WorldCat Identities Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Melvin Purvis amp oldid 1153975336, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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