Hungry Joe
Joseph "Hungry Joe" Lewis (c. 1850 – March 22, 1902) was an American criminal and swindler. He was regarded as one of the top confidence and bunco men in the United States during the late 19th century whose success was matched only by contemporaries such as Tom O'Brien and Charles P. Miller, sharing the title of "King of the Bunco Men" with both men at various times in his career.
Hungry Joe | |
|---|---|
| Born | Francis J. Alvany c. 1850 Chicago, Illinois, United States |
| Died | March 22, 1902 (aged 52) New York City, New York, United States |
| Other names | Hungry Joe Lewis John Jacob Astorhouse Charles Clayton Henry F. Post William C. Howard Louis Alcaser Francis J. Alvany |
| Occupation | Confidence man |
| Known for | Leading confidence man in the United States during the late 19th century; once swindled Oscar Wilde out of $5,000 playing a bunco game. |
Over a period of 30 years, Lewis amassed a huge personal fortune almost solely through targeting wealthy bankers, merchants and other prominent figures. This was most often because more of a profit could be made while they were less likely to report the crime to police. Among his more well-known victims were General John A. Logan, Judge Noah Davis, Charles Francis Adams, and most notably Irish author Oscar Wilde.
An 1885 biography of Lewis attributes to him the phrase "There's a sucker born every minute."