Vanishing Point: The Disappearance of Judge Crater, and the New York He Left Behind

by Richard J. Tofel

Book Overview

The sudden disappearance of Judge Joseph Crater nearly 75 years ago led to perhaps the most famous missing persons case of the twentieth century. Crater, a justice of New York's state Supreme Court, vanished amid political scandal. Within days, questions arose about Judge Crater's finances and his liaisons with numerous women. A public frenzy about what happened to Crater provided impetus for scrutiny of New York's Tammany Hall political machine--and...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1566636051
• ISBN13: 9781566636056
• Release Date: August 2004
• Publisher: Ivan R. Dee Publisher
• Length: 216 Pages
• Weight: 0.70 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 5.8" x 8.7"

Customer Reviews

I gave this as a gift

to my grandmother, a native New Yorker who knew Judge Crater's wife, Stella. She devoured it and can't stop talking about it.

As much a history of "Tammany Hall" as a mystery

Author Richard Tofel never claims to have all of the answers. But the circumstances surrounding the disappearance of New York Supreme Court Justice Joseph Crater in August 1930 certainly makes for fascinating reading. It is a curious tale, particularly given the strange reaction of not only his friends and associates, but also of his wife Stella. Yet there is much more to this book than merely the unsolved disappearance of a single individual. "Vanishing Point" is yet another book chronicling the cast of charactors and the inner workings of New York's legendary political machine known as Tammany Hall. And as I have found in many of these books it can become a bit difficult to follow given the large number of officials involved and the sordid and crooked relationships they participated in. When a vacancy occured on the New York Supreme Court in the Spring of 1930 Joseph Crater, a man no one expected to get the nod, was tapped by then Governor Franklin Roosevelt for the seat. Why was he selected? Who recommnded him? And is it possible that Joseph Crater literally bought his way on to the New York Supreme Court? Why did he suddenly disappear without a trace in the summer of 1930 and just what became of him? Did he leave the country? Was he murdered? Who might have been involved? So many questions. Based on a substantial body of available evidence "Vanishing Point" considers a number of intriguing possibilities. And although this case was never solved, Tofel does make a very convincing argument that the disappearance of Judge Crater set into motion a series of events that would ultimately spell the end of machine politics in New York City. Exactly what happened to Judge Crater will probably never be known. Nevertheless I found this book to be time well spent and a pretty good read. Recommended.

Jimmy Hoffa Wasn't the only one.

We all know of the disappearance of Jimmy Hoffa. But he was not the first. In 1930 Judge Joseph Crater cashed some checks for about $5,000 and went to dinner with some friends. Parting with the friends on the curb outside the restaurant he was never seen again. For fifty years the New York City Police Department tried to find him. Certainly dead by now (he's be 115 years old) there are no really good leads, no deathbed confessions, no real idea of what happened. This appears to be the first book written on Judge Crater. It is extremely well researched, exceedingly detailed and gives a better feeling for the times than most others. As for what really happened ....

Packed with supportive if not conclusive evidence

Fans of true crime and New York City politics alike will be attracted to VANISHING POINT, an excellent survey of one of the most puzzling missing persons cases to hit New York City in 1930. Judge Joseph Crater's vanishing has never been resolved: he disappeared amid political scandal and even business journalist author Richard Tofel's extensive research has not uncovered any new clues - but it does build an unusual argument as to what might have happened, and is packed with supportive if not conclusive evidence.

The classic biography of a legendary mystery.....

Judge Joseph Crater is arguably the most famous missing person in American history. Since he disappeared from a Manhattan restaurant on the night of August 6, 1930 his name has become synonomous with the missing. In this book by 'Wall Street Journal' assistant publisher Richard Tofel the Crater mystery and the New York of that era are brought vividly to life. A handsome ladies' man, clothes horse, successful attorney, recently appointed NY supreme court judge, happily married man, and wealthy theater enthusiast, he was also undoubtedly corrupt. Bribes, graft, and payoffs were commonplace in the Tammany Hall political machine of his time as detailed at length in these pages. Although he was a well-known political figure, his real claim to fame came as a result of his complete and utter disappearance. A case which to this day, some 74 years later, remains unsolved. Because of his shady dealings, womanizing and other nefarious political connections, the theories advanced over the years would require another much larger book all on their own. Did he run away with a showgirl he'd been seen with? Was he murdered by mobsters? Did he join a monastery? These are only a few of the possible answers and part of the fun and intrigue is that the reader is left to guess for themselves.