Who Is Alvin Karpis? Age, Biography and Wiki
Alvin Karpis was born on August 10, 1907, in New Orleans, Louisiana. As of 2025, he would have been 117 years old. Karpis gained notoriety during the Great Depression as a gangster and a member of the Criminal organization known as "The Barker-Karpis Gang," led by Ma Barker. Karpis was famously known for his ability to evade law enforcement and was one of the FBI's Ten Most Wanted criminals in the 1930s.
After a life of crime and a long career of robbing banks and kidnapping, Karpis was arrested in 1936 and spent several decades in prison. He was released in 1969 and eventually settled in Canada, where he lived a relatively quiet life until his death on August 26, 1979.
| Occupation | Criminals |
|---|---|
| Date of Birth | August 10, 1907 |
| Age | 72 Years |
| Birth Place | Montreal, Quebec, Canada |
| Horoscope | Leo |
| Country | Canada |
| Date of death | 26 August, 1979 |
| Died Place | Torremolinos, Spain |
Popularity
Alvin Karpis's Popularity over time
Height, Weight & Measurements
Alvin Karpis was known to be of average build for his time. Specific height and weight measurements are not well-documented due to a lack of personal records and media focus on his crimes rather than personal life. However, he was estimated to be around 5 feet 10 inches tall and weighed between 150-160 pounds during his active years.
Family, Dating & Relationship Status
Throughout his life, Alvin Karpis's criminal activities overshadowed his personal life. Little information is available regarding his family or romantic relationships during his criminal years. It is known that Karpis had various relationships, but concrete details about a girlfriend, boyfriend, husband, or wife remain elusive, largely due to the nature of his life as an outlaw and the era he lived in.
In 1926, he was sentenced to 10 years at the State Industrial Reformatory in Hutchinson, Kansas, for an attempted burglary. He escaped with another inmate, Lawrence De Vol, and went on a year-long crime spree, interrupted briefly, while he lived with his parents after De Vol was arrested.
After moving to Kansas City, Missouri, he was caught stealing a car and sent back to the reformatory. Transferred to the Kansas State Penitentiary in Lansing, he met Fred Barker, who was in prison for bank burglary. Barker was one of the notorious members of the "Bloody Barkers," as the newspapers of the time called them.
Net Worth and Salary
Given Alvin Karpis's extensive criminal career and activities, it’s challenging to ascertain an exact net worth during his lifetime. His income primarily came from criminal enterprises, including bank robberies and kidnappings. Estimates suggest he may have earned millions in the crimes of the 1930s; however, much of his wealth would have been lost through legal battles, expenses incurred while on the run, and the costs of living in the criminal underworld. After his release from prison, Karpis’s financial situation is believed to have stabilized, but specific figures remain unknown.
Career, Business and Investments
Alvin Karpis’s career was firmly rooted in crime. Initially, Karpis found work as a gambler and petty thief. He quickly escalated to bank robbery and kidnapping, amassing a long list of crimes that brought him into conflict with law enforcement numerous times. His criminal career peaked during the 1930s, when he was known for his meticulous planning and execution of crimes.
Following his incarceration, Karpis’s life took a turn away from crime as he was released and sought to lead a quieter life in Canada. There are no records of him engaging in legitimate business ventures or investments post-release, and he largely faded from the public eye.
Karpis has been described as the leader or "brains" of the gang. Gang member Fred Hunter said Karpis was "super smart" and he was reported to have a photographic memory. The other leaders were Doc and Fred, both now out of prison, and the gang included about 25 others.
At this time a myth was started that Ma Barker ruled the gang with an iron fist, but the facts do not seem to support these claims. It is highly unlikely that criminals as adept as Karpis, and even Ma's sons for that matter, would have listened to her. Karpis later wrote about this subject in his memoirs: "Ma was always somebody in our lives.
Love didn't enter into it really. She was somebody we looked after and took with us when we moved city to city, hideout to hideout. It is no insult to Ma's memory that she just didn't have the know-how to direct us on a robbery.
It would not have occurred to her to get involved in our business, and we always made it a point of only discussing our scores when Ma wasn't around. We'd leave her at home when we were arranging a job, or we'd send her to a movie. Ma saw a lot of movies."
Social Network
Alvin Karpis did not have a contemporary social media presence, as it was long before the advent of platforms like Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. However, his legacy remains a topic of intrigue, with discussions on various platforms regarding his life story and its impact on criminal history. Documentaries, books, and podcasts continue to explore Karpis's infamous past, contributing to a modern-day understanding of his life and crimes.
Karpis continued his crimes with others, but had to keep on the move more than ever, as he was the fourth and last of the FBI's Public Enemies Number One, the previous three—John Dillinger, Pretty Boy Floyd, and Baby Face Nelson—having been killed.
He did manage to pull off a crime that echoed the times of the "Old West", a train robbery in Garrettsville, Ohio, which netted $27,000. After the death of Ma and Fred, Karpis allegedly sent word to FBI chief J. Edgar Hoover that he intended to kill Hoover the way Hoover had killed Ma and Fred.
According to Karpis in The Alvin Karpis Story, the death threat was a rumor started by Hoover himself.
Education
Karpis's formal education details are limited, as he was more focused on illicit activities from a young age. It’s suggested that Karpis had a basic education typical of the time, but there are no records indicating any higher education or specialized training that would have prepared him for a traditional career.
In summary, Alvin Karpis remains a significant figure in criminal history, recognized for his high-profile criminal exploits and interactions with law enforcement, especially during the era of organized crime. While specifics about his life post-crime remain sparse, his story continues to fascinate historians and crime enthusiasts alike.
