Virginia Hill (born Onie Virginia Hill ; August 26, 1916 – March 24, 1966) was an American organized crime figure. An Alabama native, she became a Chicago Outfit courier during the mid-1930s. She was famous for being the girlfriend of mobster Bugsy Siegel .
24-471: Born Onie Virginia Hill on August 26, 1916, in Lipscomb, Alabama . By the time she was eight, she moved to Marietta, Georgia , with her mother and siblings after her parents separated. She attended Roberts Grammar School, where she completed eighth grade, then dropped out. In November 1931, when she was 15, she married 16-year-old George Randell. In 1933, Hill left Georgia for Chicago with Randell, hoping to enter
48-509: A cousin and bodyguard of Al Capone . It was Fischetti who sent her to New York to keep tabs on Luciano family capo Joe Adonis , which she did by becoming his lover. She told people that she was a Southern-belle society girl who had gone through four rich husbands, all divorced or dead, and that she had received $ 1 million each from their estates, but authentic socialites saw through the ruse. She built up an entourage of hangers-on and Latin gigolos hanging out on Broadway and frequently picked up
72-400: A median income of $ 26,908 versus $ 21,150 for females. The per capita income for the town was $ 13,582. About 15.9% of families and 16.2% of the population were below the poverty line , including 17.7% of those under age 18 and 16.4% of those age 65 or over. The city of Lipscomb was first incorporated on June 30, 1910, and was named for L. Y. Lipscomb, one of three brothers who first settled in
96-667: Is a municipality in the district of Salzburg-Umgebung in the state of Salzburg in Austria . In the west it borders on the Salzburg urban area. The commune is located in the northern foothills of the Salzkammergut Mountains east of the Gaisberg peak, a recreational area with views over the city of Salzburg. The municipal area comprises the cadastral communities of Koppl proper and Heuberg. The Salzburgring motorsport race track
120-405: Is located northeast of Koppl. The church of Koppl, mentioned for the first time in the 13th century, was initially a subsidiary of the parish of Seekirchen . For centuries, the manor was owned by the bishops of Chiemsee . In 1823-24 Joseph Mohr (1792–1848), the lyricist of the famous Christmas carol " Silent Night ", worked here as an assistant priest. This Salzburg state location article
144-542: Is part of the Birmingham, Alabama, metropolitan area . At the 2020 census , the population was 2,086. It does not have its own U.S. Post Office or ZIP code , instead sharing the Bessemer ZIP code (35020). According to the U.S. Census Bureau , the town has a total area of 1.1 square miles (2.8 km ), all land. As of the 2020 United States census , there were 2,086 people, 737 households, and 391 families residing in
168-589: The Kefauver hearings , where she denied having any knowledge of organized crime despite being described by Time magazine in March of that year as the "queen of the gangsters' molls". After Hill was indicted for income tax evasion in 1954, she moved to Europe, where she lived for the rest of her life with her son. Hill committed suicide by an overdose of sleeping pills in Koppl , near Salzburg , Austria , on March 24, 1966, at
192-578: The age of 49. She is buried in Aigen Cemetery in Salzburg. According to Andy Edmonds' biography Bugsy's Baby: The Secret Life of Mob Queen Virginia Hill , her death was suspicious despite it being an apparent suicide. The Austrian media, which were well informed about her former relationship with Siegel, speculated that she tried to get money by using her knowledge of the Italian-American Mafia . She
216-411: The area in 1885. As early as the 1880s, the community was called Wheeling and the town had 200-300 residents by 1906. The community was originally named after Wheeling, West Virginia because the owners of Woodward Iron Company , who employed many of the residents, also had business interests in that state. Y. L. Lipscomb ran a general store on the old South Bessemer car line which opened in 1890, though
240-517: The check. While in New York, she was introduced to another Luciano associate, Bugsy Siegel , and they ended up in a hotel together that night. Later Siegel's and Hill's separate life paths brought them both to Hollywood, and they began a torrid affair. There were rumors that she and Siegel were secretly married in Mexico after Siegel divorced his wife Esta in 1946, but there has not been any evidence to prove
264-482: The city. At the 2010 census , there were 2,210 people, 812 households, and 554 families living in the town. The population density was 2,009.1 inhabitants per square mile (775.7/km ). There were 950 housing units at an average density of 863.6 per square mile (333.4/km ). The racial makeup of the town was 61.0% Black or African American, 22.0% White, 1.1% Native American, 0.0% Asian, 0.0% Pacific Islander, 15.0% from other races, and 0.9% from two or more races. 19.7% of
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#1732855813678288-495: The first settlers actually came to the area in the 1830s, when Vincent Loveless established his farm in the area. The first church was established in the area in June 1834 when a log structure was built named Union Baptist Church which sat on the site of the present church. The town's major source of revenue is an illegal bingo hall that has been repeatedly shut by state authorities. Koppl Koppl ( Central Bavarian : Koppü )
312-490: The origin of the nickname said that after a few drinks, her face would flush a flamingo-like pink. However, organized crime king Lucky Luciano wrote in his memoir that Siegel once owned an interest in the Hialeah Park Race Track and viewed the local flamingo population as a good omen. The "Flamingo" name was given to the project at its inception by original resort financier Billy Wilkerson. Four days before Siegel
336-406: The population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. Of the 812 households 28.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 33.5% were married couples living together, 28.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.8% were non-families. 27.6% of households were one person and 12.4% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.72 and the average family size
360-506: The pornography business. Once in Chicago, she separated from Randell, divorcing him the following year. She found a job as a waitress at the mob-run San Carlo Italian Village exhibit during the 1933 Century of Progress Chicago's World Fair, and supplemented her income as a prostitute. She came to the attention of a wealthy bookmaker and gambler, Joseph Epstein, who is said to have become her financial advisor and, possibly, lover (although Epstein
384-456: The suspicions of trigger-happy killers and a dual personality, close-lipped about essentials, and able to chatter freely, and apparently foolishly about inconsequentials. Even law enforcement eventually concluded that she was a "central clearing house" for intelligence on organized crime and enjoyed an independent power base within the Mafia. Eventually Hill became associated with Charles Fischetti ,
408-606: The theory. Flamingo founder Billy Wilkerson named the Flamingo, long before Benjamin Siegel got involved. Urban legend has it wrong that Siegel named the Flamingo Las Vegas resort after Hill, who liked to gamble and whose nickname was supposedly "Flamingo", a moniker that Siegel was said to have given her, referring to her long, thin legs, but others have said that she was in fact short and somewhat matronly in form. Another story about
432-472: The town was $ 16,892. About 13.5% of families and 15.1% of the population were below the poverty line , including 19.9% of those under age 18 and 22.4% of those age 65 or over. At the 2000 census , there were 2,458 people, 901 households, and 634 families living in the town. The population density was 2,163.6 inhabitants per square mile (835.4/km ). There were 1,108 housing units at an average density of 975.3 per square mile (376.6/km ). The racial makeup of
456-557: The town was 32.55% White, 65.58% Black or African American, 0.28% Native American, 0.04% Asian, 0.12% Pacific Islander, 0.94% from other races, and 0.49% from two or more races. 2.24% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. Of the 901 households 35.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.4% were married couples living together, 23.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.6% were non-families. 26.4% of households were one person and 9.8% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size
480-419: Was 2.73 and the average family size was 3.35. The age distribution was 30.1% under the age of 18, 8.5% from 18 to 24, 29.9% from 25 to 44, 21.0% from 45 to 64, and 10.5% 65 or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.2 males. The median household income was $ 30,865 and the median family income was $ 35,556. Males had
504-464: Was 3.31. The age distribution was 26.5% under the age of 18, 9.5% from 18 to 24, 26.2% from 25 to 44, 26.0% from 45 to 64, and 11.8% 65 or older. The median age was 34.8 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.7 males. The median household income was $ 27,600 and the median family income was $ 45,000. Males had a median income of $ 32,261 versus $ 19,965 for females. The per capita income for
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#1732855813678528-520: Was assassinated at the home he leased for her in California (June 1947), she took an unscheduled flight to Paris , France giving rise to speculation that she was warned of Siegel's impending murder. In 1950, she married Hans Hauser, an Austrian skier (and head of the Sun Valley, Idaho Ski School); later giving birth to their only child, Peter Hauser (1950–1994). In 1951, she was subpoenaed to testify before
552-521: Was reputed to be gay). Ultimately, she entered into the Chicago Outfit crime organization. In addition to allegedly acting as a mistress to members of the Chicago Mob, she served as a courier to pass messages between mobsters. One contemporary commentator described her as: ... more than just another set of curves. She had ... a good memory, a considerable flair for hole-in-the-corner diplomacy to allay
576-447: Was the subject of a 1974 television movie, in which she was portrayed by Dyan Cannon . She was played by Annette Bening in the 1991 film Bugsy , a dramatization of her relationship with Bugsy Siegel (portrayed by Warren Beatty ). She was also the "loose" basis for Joan Crawford 's character in the 1950 film noir The Damned Don't Cry . Lipscomb, Alabama Lipscomb is a city in western Jefferson County, Alabama . It
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