Major Coxson

Major Benjamin Coxson (c. 1929 – June 8, 1973) was an American drug kingpin from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Nicknamed "The Maj",[1] he was a flamboyant entrepreneur, civil rights activist, inner city power broker and intermediary between Italian-American and African-American organized crime groups. He co-owned a Philadelphia nightclub with civil-rights activist Stanley Branche, was close friends and neighbor to Muhammad Ali and ran unsuccessfully for mayor of Camden, New Jersey in 1972.

Coxson was murdered in his home in Cherry Hill, New Jersey on June 8, 1973. The police theorized that the Philadelphia Black Mafia killed him for his failure to broker a heroin deal with the New York Mafia.

Early life and education

Coxson was born to Israel and Maybell Coxson in Fairbank, Pennsylvania.[1] He attended Benjamin Franklin High School in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.[2] As a teenager, he worked at shoeshine stands and car washes. He invested the money in used car lots, car dealerships and other enterprises. He was drafted in 1946 during the 1940 to 1947 World War II drafting.[1]

Career

Coxson co-owned a nightclub in Center City Philadelphia with civil rights activist Stanley Branche named the Rolls Royce Lounge. Coxson operated as a drug kingpin while running the nightclub.[3]

He was arrested 17 times and convicted 10 on fraud and larceny charges. He served 22 months in a federal prison in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania for his involvement in an interstate car theft ring.[1] He was an associate of Angelo Bruno, the mafia boss of the Philadelphia crime family. Coxson was the Black Mafia's narcotic connection, he received high grade heroin from the notorious East Coast drug trafficker Frank Matthews.[4]

He was involved in the establishment of dummy corporations for money laundering, credit card fraud and extortion. Companies such as Crescent Furniture Company, Pyramid Enterprises, Barry Goldstein Agency and Fairmount Foods drew checks that were made payable to Elijah Muhammad's Mosque No. 12 in Philadelphia.[5]

He was a close friend and neighbor of Muhammad Ali when he lived in Cherry Hill, New Jersey.[6] They met in 1968 when Ali spoke at a fundraiser for a neighborhood organization called the Black Coalition of which Coxson was a board member.[1]

In 1970, after Muhammad Ali defeated Jerry Quarry in the ring, he grabbed the microphone from Howard Cosell and declared: "I dedicate this win to Major Coxson, the future mayor of Camden, New Jersey."[4]

In 1972, Coxson ran for mayor of Camden, New Jersey but lost to Angelo Errichetti.[7] When questioned during the campaign about his criminal record, Coxson replied:

"Most politicians start out as officeholders and wind up getting arrested. I aim to reverse that process."[6]

— Major Coxson

Murder

Coxson was murdered on June 8, 1973, in his home at 1146A Barbara Drive in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. Coxson along with his companion Lois Luby, her 17-year-old daughter Lita, and her 14-year-old son Toro, were bound and shot in the back of the head. Her 13 year old son, Lex, was also bound but was able to escape and alert a neighbor. Lois and Toro survived, however Lita died later at Cherry Hill Medical Center. Toro was left blind in one eye and was later placed in witness protection along with Lex.[1]

Lex told police that four black men in a cadillac arrived at the house at 4:00 AM. He stated that they honked the car horn and were let in the house by Coxson therefore he assumed they were friends. The five men spoke for a while before the violence began.[8]

It was theorized that the Black Mafia ordered Coxson killed for failing to broker a major heroin deal between the New York Mafia and the Philadelphia Black Mafia.[9]

The two lead suspects in the murders were Ronald Harvey and Samuel Christian of the Black Mafia. Harvey was a Philadelphia crime figure that was the 320th person placed on the FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list for his suspected involvement in the Coxson murder. He was arrested and indicted on 11 counts regarding the Coxson murder with bail set at $3 million.[10] He was eventually convicted of the 1973 Hanafi Muslim massacre of two women and five children in Washington D.C. in January 1973. Harvey was never charged with the Coxson murder and died in prison.[2]

Christian was the 321st person placed on the FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list for his suspected involvement with the Coxson murder. Christian was not convicted of the Coxson murder since no witnesses were willing to come forward.[11]

Coxson was interred at Mount Lawn Cemetery in Darby, Pennsylvania.[12]

Footnotes
  1. "1970, Muahammad Ali and Major Coxson". www.coxonclub.com. Retrieved 22 March 2020.
  2. "Major Coxson". www.dvrbs.com. Retrieved 22 March 2020.
  3. Griffin 2003, p. 78.
  4. Burnstein, Scott. "Muhammad Ali & The Black Mafia: The Tale of The Champ's Relationship With "The Maj"". www.gangsterreport.com. Retrieved 23 March 2020.
  5. Evanzz, Karl (2011-09-07). The Messenger: The Rise and Fall of Elijah Muhammad. Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. p. 376. ISBN 9780307805201. Retrieved March 11, 2017.
  6. Janson, Donald. "Camden Mayoral Aspirant Fatally Shot on His Estate". www.nytimes.com. New York Times. Retrieved 22 March 2020.
  7. "Gangland-style killing in N.J." The Summer Daily. June 9, 1973. Retrieved 28 March 2020.
  8. Tomlinson, Gerald (1994). Murdered in Jersey. Rutgers University Press. pp. 147–149. ISBN 9780813520780. Retrieved December 8, 2013. Major Coxson.
  9. McGarvey, Brendan (14 January 2003). "Allah Behind Bars". Archived from the original on 14 January 2003. Retrieved 21 March 2017.CS1 maint: BOT: original-url status unknown (link)
  10. Johnson, John H. (May 23, 1974). Jet. Chicago, IL: Johnson Publishing Co. Inc. p. 21. Retrieved 23 March 2020.
  11. Griffin, Sean Patrick (March 13, 2016). "Requiem for a Gangster". phillymag.com. Retrieved March 19, 2017.
  12. "Major Benjamin Coxson". www.findagrave.com. Retrieved 23 March 2020.

References
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