In the 1950s, the United States FBI began to maintain a public list of the people it regarded as the Ten Most Wanted Fugitives. Following is a brief review of FBI people and events that place the 1950s decade in context, and then an historical list of individual fugitives whose names first appeared on the 10 Most Wanted list during the decade of the 1950s, under FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover.

In late 1949 the FBI helped publish an article about the "toughest guys" the Bureau was after, who remained fugitives from justice. The positive publicity from the story resulted in the birth of the FBI's "Ten Most Wanted Fugitives" list on March 14, 1950.

Cases of espionage against the United States and its allies were some of the prevalent investigations by the Bureau during the 1950s. Eight Nazi agents who had planned sabotage operations against American targets were arrested. Organized crime networks and families in the United States also became targets, including those headed by Sam Giancana and John Gotti.

As wanted fugitives were added, and then later removed, the FBI began to keep track of the sequence number in which each fugitive appeared on the list. Some individuals have even appeared twice, and often a sequence number was permanently assigned to an individual fugitive who was soon caught, captured, or simply removed, before his or her appearance could be published on the publicly released list. In those cases, the public would see only gaps in the number sequence reported by the FBI. For convenient reference, the wanted fugitive's sequence number and date of entry on the FBI list appear below, whenever possible.

The most wanted fugitives listed in the decade of the 1950s include (in FBI list appearance sequence order):^[1][2][3][4]

Name	Sequence Number	Date of Entry	Time Listed
Thomas James Holden	#1	March 14, 1950	One year
Thomas James Holden, a longtime criminal, was the first fugitive to be placed on the FBI’s newly created “Ten Most Wanted Fugitives” list, on March 14, 1950. Holden was arrested on June 23, 1961, in Beaverton, Oregon, following a tip from a citizen who read a wire service story in the Portland, Oregon newspaper The Oregonian and contacted the FBI.[5] He was wanted for fleeing on November 4, 1949 after he had shot to death his wife and her two brothers while drinking on June 5, 1949, in Chicago. He was previously convicted of robbing a mail train in the late 1920s as part of the Holden-Keating gang and escaped from Leavenworth in 1930. He was alleged to be one of the "outside" crew in a sensational armed break of other prisoners from Leavenworth in December, 1931; after escape, was caught by Special Agents and local police officers on a golf course at Kansas City, Missouri, July 7, 1932 He was released from Leavenworth Prison November 28, 1947.[6]
Morley Vernon King	#2	March 15, 1950	Two years
Morley Vernon King was wanted for strangling his wife, Helen, with a scarf and leaving her body in a closet for six days. He then put her body in a steamer trunk, placing it under the back porch of a motel where he worked at in San Luis Obispo, California, on July 9, 1947.[7] He had fled from police July 8, 1947. He was apprehended in a Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, restaurant on October 31, 1951, due to an FBI investigation.
William Raymond Nesbit	#3	March 16, 1950	Three days
William Nesbit was wanted for multiple murders and jewel thefts. In 1936, Nesbit and a crew of jewel thieves, consisting of three other man and one of their girlfriends, fled to South Dakota where they all got into a fight. The girlfriend attempted to break up the fight, but was struck with a hammer by Nesbit and shot by another crew member. She was dragged to a powder house where another crew member by the name of Harold Baker, laid unconscious. Nesbit then lit a fuse, setting off 3,500 pounds of dynamite and 7,000 pounds of black powder, killing Baker while the girlfriend managed to crawl away. On February 26, 1937, he was arrested in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. He received a sentence of life in prison, but after 20 years, he was allowed to leave the prison for work activities. However, on September 4, 1946, he never returned and was wanted for fleeing. He was arrested in St. Paul, Minnesota, by local police following a wire service story in the St. Paul Dispatch, on March 18, 1950 with the help of a 14 year old boy and his friends who said he had become friends with a man named "Ray" who lived in a cave in the nearby Mississippi River bank.[8]
Henry Randolph Mitchell	#4	March 17, 1950	Eight years
Henry Randolph Mitchell, a longtime criminal, was wanted for robbing a Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation bank in Williston, Florida on January 21, 1948 shortly after being released from Florida State Penitentiary. His criminal career dated back to 1924 and he had been previously convicted in the states of Kentucky, Georgia, New York and Florida for crimes including grand larceny, violation of narcotics laws, breaking and entering, and forgery.[9] Mitchell was placed on the list three days after its inception and was the only one of the original members still at large when the process against him was dismissed in Tallahassee, Florida on July 18, 1958.
Omar August Pinson	#5	March 18, 1950	Five months
Omar August Pinson was wanted for murder and burglary. On April 25, 1947, Pinson, after just finishing a burglary, was approached by a state officer when the officer saw him was holding a large amount of guns. After failing to come up with an excuse, he pulled out a pistol, shooting and killing the officer. He had apparently been on a 6 month burglary spree in throughout Washington, Idaho, and Oregon. He was convicted for the murder and burglaries, and attempted to escape prison multiple times, thereafter. On May 30, 1949, he managed to saw through his prison bars and escape with another inmate, then immediately went back to burglarizing homes.[10] He was arrested in Pierre, South Dakota, on August 28, 1950, by local police while applying for his driver’s license, due to an FBI investigation,.
Lee Emory Downs	#6	March 20, 1950	One month
Lee Emory Downs, an expert safecracker and longtime criminal, was wanted for robbing a telephone company in San Jose, California with an accomplice.[11] He was a part of a loose gang of holdup men and robbers from several states. He was arrested by the FBI in Daytona Beach, Florida, on April 7, 1950, outside his trailer home, due to an FBI investigation. At the time of the arrest, Downs was working on his 1949 Lincoln automobile. A search of the trailer revealed two pistols, six rifles, nine sticks of dynamite, twelve electric detonating fuses, and two leather briefcases filled with ammunition. He was convicted, but in 1968, while on parole, he attempted to burglarize the Colombian consulate in San Francisco and was returned to prison.[12]
Orba Elmer Jackson	#7	March 21, 1950	Two days
Orba Elmer Jackson, a longtime criminal, was wanted for escaping prison when he walked away from a work duty. He was serving time for robbing a store that happen to have a post office in the back making it a federal crime, therefore making him a federal prisoner, sending him to Leavenworth Prison.[13] He was apprehended without incident in Aloha, Oregon, on March 23, 1950. A citizen saw Jackson’s Identification Order in an Oregon post office and recognized him as a farm hand.
Glen Roy Wright	#8	March 22, 1950	Nine months
Glen Roy Wright, a longtime criminal, dubbed, "The Old Man of the Mountains", was wanted for escaping prison, where he was serving a life sentence for hijacking an auction with an accomplice. He was captured by accident when the FBI were looking for two kidnappers of a St. Paul banker. He was also wanted for questioning in the murder of a Tulsa attorney. After an escape attempt in 1940 where he was wounded, on September 14, 1948, he was able to successfully escape when he faked having an ill mother and disappeared when visiting her. While on the run he committed numerous crimes including robbery. He was arrested in Salina, Kansas, by the FBI on December 13, 1950, due to an FBI investigation. He then became a model prisoner before dying of a heart attack in prison on July 5, 1954.[14]
Henry Harland Shelton	#9	March 23, 1950	Three months
Henry Harland Shelton was wanted for escaping prison. On September 17, 1949, Shelton and accomplice kidnapped an electrical worker and forced him to drive them across several states at knife point. They then abandoned the car the repeated the process three more times. Shelton's accomplice was captured during a holdup while Shelton managed to escape the police. Three months later, the FBI were able to ascertain his location as he frequented a local bar. He was arrested in Indianapolis, Indiana, by FBI agents on June 23, 1950 while armed with a .45 caliber automatic weapon which he drew it during the arrest in an attempt to shoot the arresting FBI agent. Agents shot and wounded him. He pled guilty to charges of federal kidnapping and the interstate transportation of stolen motor vehicles. He received a sentence of 45 years on the kidnapping charge and five years on the car theft charge, sentences to run concurrently.[15]
Morris Guralnick	#10	March 24, 1950	Nine months
Morris Guralnick was wanted escaping custody while awaiting trial for stabbing his ex-girlfriend in April, 1948. In order to escape, Guralnick and four other inmates broke the plumbing fixtures and violently assaulted two guard with broken pipes where one guard was hospitalized with sever head injuries. He was considered extremely dangerous as during his first arrest for the assault, he bit off the finger of an arresting officer. In December of 1950, Guralnick was arrested by an FBI agent and a local police officer at a clothing store where he was working as a night clerk in Madison, Wisconsin. He was located as a result of a citizen seeing his picture in the Coronet magazine and then contacting authorities.[16]
Willie Sutton	#11	March 20, 1950	Two years
William Francis Sutton, a.k.a. “The Actor” or “Slick Willie,” was wanted for escaping prison where he was serving time for multiple bank robberies. He was considered a gentlemen when robbing banks with one victim stating it was like being in a movie where the usher had a gun. He would usually put on elaborate disguises in order to rob them in broad daylight. He would go on to make several escapes from prisons. While serving a sentence of life imprisonment as a fourth time offender, Sutton was transferred to the Philadelphia County Prison, in Homesburg, Pennsylvania. On February 10, 1947, Sutton and other prisoners dressed as prison guards and carried two ladders across the prison yard to the wall after dark. When the prison’s searchlights hit him, Sutton yelled, “It’s okay,” and no one stopped him. Because of his love for expensive clothes, his photograph was given to tailors as well as the police. Arnold Schuster recognized Sutton on a New York subway on February 18, 1952, leading to his arrest. He was sentenced to 30 years on top of the one life sentence and 105 years he was already serving before his escape. However, in 1969, he was released from prison since he had emphysema and was preparing for major surgery. On November 2, 1980, Willie Sutton died in Spring Hill, Florida, at the age of 79.[17]
Stephen William Davenport	#12	April 4, 1950	One month
Stephen William Davenport, a longtime criminal, was wanted for fleeing after he was arrested for stealing a car while out on parole. He was originally in Leavenworth Prison for killing a detective sergeant while committing an armed burglary.[18] To escape, he broke a bar in the shower room of the correctional facility he was at and using blankets slid out a window to the ground floor.[19] He was arrested in Las Vegas, Nevada, by local police, due to an FBI investigation.
Henry Clay Tollett	#13	April 11, 1950	One year
Henry Clay Tollett, a longtime criminal, was wanted for escaping prison where he was serving a 25 year long sentence for bank robbery. He hid in a truck that was picking up prison made office furniture before jumping out of the truck and disappearing in Tacoma, Washington. he was known to have a gun in a secret pocket in his left sleeve and was a notorious alcoholic.[20] He was fatally wounded by a California Highway Patrol officer during the attempt to apprehend him on June 4, 1951. He was in a stolen car in Redding, California.
Frederick J. Tenuto	#14	May 24, 1950	Fourteen years
Frederick J. Tenuto, a.k.a. "The Angel", a longtime criminal, was wanted for escaping prison with Willie Sutton (#11) in 1947 where he was serving time for murder. Placed on the Top Ten list on May 24, 1950, federal process against Tenuto was dismissed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, by a U.S. District Judge. It was alleged by Joe Valachi that Tenuto was killed by Albert Anastasia to get rid of loose ends in a hit he ordered on Arnold Schuster.[21]
Thomas Kling	#15	July 17, 1950	Two years
Thomas Kling, a longtime criminal, was wanted for armed robbery when he entered a bar and fired a gun in the air. He then smashed a barkeeper over the head with a stool and robbed the place. All this took place while out on parole. Starting his criminal career at the age of ten he was in and out of prison for a multitude of crimes including, multiple robberies, assaults, bank robberies, breaking and entering, carjacking, and more.[22] He was arrested in New York, New York, by local police on February 20, 1952 after following an address book they found in Willie Sutton's (#11) apartment.[23]
Meyer Dembin	#16	September 5, 1950	One year
Meyer Dembin was wanted for bank robbery. On February 8, 1935, Dembin and three others robbed a bank in under five minutes armed with revolvers and a shotgun; then jumped into a stolen sedan. Over the course of the next decade, his accomplices would be arrested and given lengthy prison sentences.[24] He surrendered to the U.S. Attorney in New York, New York, on November 26, 1951.

Name	Sequence Number	Date of Entry	Time Listed
Courtney Townshend Taylor	#17	January 8, 1951	One month
Courtney Townshend Taylor was wanted for passing bad checks. He was apprehended in Mobile, Alabama, in 1951 after a jeweler recognized him from a Wanted Flyer. Sending his clerk to follow Taylor, the jeweler called the FBI and police. Within 25 minutes, Taylor was in custody. Upon his arrest, he was frisked and pulled out a black fountain pen and stated "This is the only gun I need,".[25]
Joseph Franklin Bent	#18	January 9, 1951	Two years
Joseph Franklin Bent, a longtime criminal and former army soldier, was wanted for multiple robberies and attempted murder. On July 23, 1949, he wrapped his face in tape and robbed a grocery store in San Diego, California. After fleeing in a getaway car driven by an accomplice, they were chased by a motorcycle officer. A gun battle ensued where Bent shot at the officer with a shotgun out of the moving car where they managed to get away. While on the run, in May of 1950, he robbed a another grocery store in Baton Rouge, Louisiana and was arrested after hiding under a house. He managed to escaped the infirmary with a broken jaw and stole two vehicles in succession to escape. He then fled to Riverdale, North Dakota and committed another robbery.[26] He was arrested in Texas City, Texas, after a citizen recognized his photo in Pageant magazine. He was shot and wounded during the arrest when he attempted to draw his weapon.
Harry H. Burton	#19	March 9, 1951	One year
Harry H. Burton, a longtime criminal, was wanted for murder. On October 1, 1947, a wealthy liquor store owner who was reported to have large sums of cash on him and in his, home was robbed while his wife and three visitors were inside. A mailman arrived with a package at the front door and drew a pistol forcing the wife inside, having all four people lie face down on the kitchen floor. Others then entered and ransacked the home. Robert Crane adjusted himself while lying down and was subsequently shot in the head by the intruder after which he shooter and the robbers fled the home. The package initially used to gain entry to the home was left behind which had the latent fingerprints of Burton and stuffed inside was a sticker with Burton's father's name and address. Further investigating turned up evidence that implicated Burton.[27] He was arrested in Cody, Wyoming, in 1952, by the local sheriff and FBI. His arrest is attributed to the True Detective Mysteries radio broadcast. however, he was later acquitted when a witness testified that he was at him dying mothers bedside at the time of the murder.[28]
Joseph Paul Cato	#20	June 27, 1951	Surrendered before publication
Joseph Paul Cato, a one time gangster, was wanted for the murder of his girlfriend who he was having an affair with unbeknownst to her husband. The motive was believed to be jealously as she was meeting another man. He broke down her door, chased her upstairs, and shot her in the head.[29] He surrendered to the FBI in Cleveland, Ohio, in June of 1951, after seeing his own Identification Order. Although approved to be placed on the “Top Ten” list, he surrendered prior to the press release date.
Anthony Brancato	#21	June 27, 1951	Two days
Anthony Brancato was wanted for robbing the Flamingo Hotel and Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada, which had ties to the Mafia, alongside Tony Trombino as part of duo robbers commonly known as "The Two Tonys".[30] He surrendered to the FBI in San Francisco, California, on June 29, 1951 after seeing an International News Service story in the San Francisco Call-Bulletin.
Frederick Emerson Peters	#22	July 2, 1951	Seven months
Frederick Emerson Peters, a serial imposter, was wanted for writing bad check. He would travel around the U.S. pretending to be government officials and relatives of famous people getting others to cash bad checks for him. He amassed around 130 aliases by 1948.[31] He was arrested on January 15, 1952 in a Washington, D.C., hotel lobby after two FBI agents recognized him from an Identification Order.
Ernest Tait	#23	July 11, 1951	One day
Ernest Tait, a career robber, was wanted for robbing a safe in New Castle, Indiana with an accomplice. They were caught in the act and had a shootout with police in which his partner was shot and killed.[32] He was arrested on July 12, 1951 in Miami, Florida, by the FBI as a direct result of an Associated Press story published in the Miami Herald and the Miami Daily News. After being apprehended, Tait said he had intended to shoot it out with the police, but he had read the AP story about himself stating he had been added to the “Top Ten” list and decided not to try to shoot it out with the FBI. Tait is also #133 on the list.
Ollie Gene Embry	#24	July 25, 1951	One month
Ollie Gene Embry was wanted for robbing Monroe National Bank in Columbia, Illinois with three others on February 7, 1951. The four planned to meet up later to divide the stolen cash but Embry spotted a detective during the sting operation set up to capture them and Embry fled while his accomplices were arrested.[33] A citizen saw Embry’s Identification Order in the post office and recognized him as a local filling station attendant. He was arrested by FBI agents in August 1951 while he was in the process of fixing the radiator of the arresting agents’ car in Kansas City, Missouri.
Giachino Anthony Baccolla	#25	August 20, 1951	Four months
Giachino Anthony Baccolla was wanted for the murder of a Detroit jeweler that was shot in his car at his home on May 17, 1951. The jeweler and Baccolla were acquaintances as former criminals. It is possible that he killed him after the jeweler became a government witness in a robbery case in 1950.[34] He was arrested in New York, New York in December 1951, due to an FBI investigation.
Raymond Edward Young	#26	November 12, 1951	Four days
Raymond Edward Young, a longtime robber, was wanted for escaping a California prison when he ran away from fighting a fire as part of a convict gang of firefighters. While on the run, he got married and got a job escorting funeral processions on a motorcycle, making friends with local motorcycle cops.[35] He was arrested in Denver, Colorado, in November of 1951, due to an FBI investigation. Young worked nights at a bakery and was apprehended while loading bread trucks.
John Thomas Hill	#27	December 10, 1951	One year
John Thomas Hill was wanted for murder. He was arrested in August of 1952, in Hamtramck, Michigan, after a citizen recognized him from a Wanted Flyer. Due to an FBI investigation, agents raided his home finding Hill in bed, fast asleep. He offered no resistance.[36]
George Arthur Heroux	#28	December 19, 1951	Seven months
George Arthur Heroux was wanted for robbing the Johnson County National Bank and Trust Company in Prairie Village, Kansas with machine guns alongside Gerhard Arthur Puff (#30) on November 23, 1951.[37] He was arrested in El Portal, Florida on July 25, 1952, by local police following a police department investigation.

January 28, 1952 #30 - was added soon after his partner George Arthur Heroux, #28
Gerhard Arthur Puff
Puff, who was a bank robber with accomplice and fellow top Ten Fugitive, George Arthur Heroux, was caught after killing an FBI Agent in a gunbattle after six months on the list. He was executed two years later.

By the end of the decade, the following fugitives were remaining at large on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted list:

• J. Edgar Hoover (1935–1972)

• Current FBI top ten most wanted fugitives at FBI site