Among the smarter and more influential bosses of the late 50s and early 60s, Lucchese was able to build a rackets empire though his family was far smaller than the powerful Genovese and Gambino organizations. Born Dec. 1, 1899, in Palermo, Sicily, Lucchese settled in the Italian Harlem section of New York after his arrival in the U.S.He appears to have moved up through the ranks of the 107th Street Mob. Lucchese became affiliated with the Tom Reina crime family in the Bronx. When Reina was eliminated and replaced at the start of the Castellammarese War by "Joe the Boss" Masseria, Lucchese and Gagliano defected to the Castellammarese side led by Salvatore Maranzano.