With season 4 of “Godfather of Harlem” currently filming, we at The Root thought it would be the perfect time to dig into Ellsworth “Bumpy” Johnson, the titular subject of the show.
Suggested Reading
Played by Academy Award-winning actor Forest Whitaker, “Godfather” transports fans into the 1960s to learn about Johnson’s rise as a crime boss. Before you get ready to enjoy the new season, learn some new facts about the real Bumpy Johnson.
South Carolina roots
The “Godfather of Harlem” was born to Margaret Moultrie and William Johnson in Charleston, South Carolina on October 31, 1905. Same day as Halloween. He stayed there until 1919.
Harlem
Although he was born in South Carolina, Johnson later moved to Harlem to live with his sister Mabel.
How did he get the name “Bumpy”?
No special story behind it, Johnson just had a bump on the back of his head. As a result, people started to call him “Bumpy.”
Personality
Despite his tough exterior, Bumpy was always extremely generous and philanthropic in Harlem.
Intelligence
Despite his lifestyle, he still encouraged others in the community to take their school work and studies seriously so they don’t have to become a criminal like he did.
Celebrity relationships
Billie Holiday and Sugar Ray Robinson were also known to be close friends with the Harlem crime boss.
Malcolm X
It’s no surprise two of the more notable people in Harlem at the time knew each other. Bumpy would protect the Maclol after he left the Nation of Islam.
Stephanie St. Clair
Stephanie St. Clair was a well-known criminal in her own right, and Bumpy worked for her. She was a “numbers” queen during the 1930s and started a gang war against fellow crime boss Dutch Schultz.
Appearance in Jet Magazine
We don’t use the word “infamous,” lightly. Bumpy was so well known that his criminal action would be reported in the once-popular Jet Magazine.
Time in Alcatraz
Bumpy spent a lot of time in one of the most infamous prisons in the world, Alcatraz. Johnson was sentenced to 15 years in prison in 1952 on drug conspiracy charges.
Parade in Harlem
Despite his criminal activity, Bumpy was so beloved in Harlem that he was met with a parade when he returned home after being released on parole in 1963.
Police station protest
Bumpy didn’t protest in the same way many people in the Civil Rights Movement did. In December 1965, after he was arrested, he refused to leave the station and was later charged with refusing to leave a police station.
Criminal Record
Bumpy was a crime boss, so it’s not a surprise that he has a lengthy rap sheet. In his lifetime, he went to prison twice and was arrested nearly 36 times.
Wife
Bumpy married his wife, Mayme Hatcher, in October 1948. Although he died 20 years later, his woman lived until May 2009 and even wrote a book about her husband titled, “Harlem Godfather: The Rap on My Husband, Ellsworth “Bumpy” Johnson.”
Death
The last resting place of Ellsworth Raymond “Bumpy” Johnson. He died of congestive heart failure on July 7, 1968, at the age of 62 while having breakfast at a local Harlem restaurant. Not exactly the way some might think an infamous gangster might go out.
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