William "Wild Bill" Lovett
U.S. Army

William Lovett was born on 15 July 1894 in New York City. He first fell in with the local Irish gangs around the Brooklyn waterfront as a teenager.

The day after America's entry into World War I, Lovett enlisted in the U.S. Army. He was assigned to Company C, 13th Machine Gun Battalion, 77th Infantry Division. During fierce combat on the Western Front, Lovett was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, the Army's second highest award for valor.

Upon his return to Brooklyn, Lovett resumed his place as head of the Jay Street Gang, a group of toughs who sparred with Dinny Meehan's rival White Hand Gang for control of Brooklyn's lucrative waterfront rackets. His gang dealt in extortion, loansharking, gambling and other criminal activities around the Brooklyn docks.

Death and Burial

William Lovett died on 1 November 1923. He was found beaten and shot to death in the rear of a store at 25 Bridge Street, Brooklyn, NY. He is buried at Cypress Hills National Cemetery in Brooklyn.