Max Gerlach

Max von Gerlach (born Max Stork Gerlach; October 12, 1885 – October 18, 1958) was an acquaintance of American writer F. Scott Fitzgerald in New York. Gerlach was an officer in the American Expeditionary Forces during World War I who became a gentleman bootlegger and lived like a millionaire in New York. Flaunting his wealth as a bootlegger, Gerlach threw lavish parties, never wore the same shirt twice, used the phrase "old sport", claimed to be educated at Oxford University, and fostered myths about himself; including that he was a relation of the German Kaiser. These details about Gerlach inspired Fitzgerald in his creation of Jay Gatsby, the titular character of The Great Gatsby.

Max Gerlach
Surveillance photograph of bootlegger Max Gerlach clandestinely taken on July 8, 1915, by the New York City Police Department
Born
Max Stork Gerlach

(1885-10-12)October 12, 1885
DiedOctober 18, 1958(1958-10-18) (aged 73)
New York City, U.S.
Resting placeLong Island National Cemetery
NationalityGerman-American
OccupationBootlegger

With the end of prohibition and the onset of the Great Depression, Gerlach lost his immense wealth. Living in reduced circumstances, he attempted suicide by shooting himself in the head in 1939. Blinded after his suicide attempt, he lived as a helpless invalid for many years. Gerlach died on October 18, 1958, at Bellevue Hospital in New York City. He was buried in a pine casket at Long Island National Cemetery.

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