Profiles in Crime: The FBI’s Infamous Most Wanted of the 1950s

The 1950s are often idealized as some of the best times in American history. The Great Depression and World War II were long gone, the Korean War ended early in the decade, and it was a time of economic growth and prosperity. But not everything was perfect. Criminals still made their mark and their exploits led them to become the FBI's infamous most wanted of the 1950s.

The FBI's Most Wanted List was just starting in the decade, debuting in March 1950. The list is one of the oldest and most renowned programs of the federal agency, with a 93% success rate, and is dreaded by criminals as it asks for the public's help in apprehending wanted fugitives.

According to the FBI, the list was created when a reporter from the International News Service asked the agency for names and descriptions of the toughest guys the Bureau would like to capture and was then implemented by FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover. While mostly men are listed, some women have been added over the years too.

To compile a list of the FBI's infamous most wanted of the 1950s, 24/7 Tempo reviewed information from "Ten Most Wanted History Pictures," a report published by the FBI that identifies over 500 current and former criminals who have appeared on the list, along with the details of their arrests.

Since its inception, 492 of 529 listed have been caught, largely due to the assistance of citizens. Some individuals from the first 1950 class were arrested before being officially listed, while others successfully avoided capture. (Here is a list of 26 Wild West outlaws who became legends.)

Here are the FBI's infamous most wanted of the 1950s:

After initially serving time for burglary and armed robbery, Pinson was released from prison and promptly shot and killed an Oregon police officer in 1947. Sentenced to life in prison this time, he escaped in 1949, evaded capture after a shootout the following year, and was finally caught shortly after spending five months on the Most Wanted List. He was paroled in 1959.

A member of the Karpis-Barker Gang in the 1930s, Glen Roy Wright was sentenced to life in prison at Oklahoma State Penitentiary for armed robbery in 1934 after being wounded in two separate gun battles with police. He escaped from prison in 1948 but was recaptured after nine months on the Most Wanted List and died in prison in 1954.

Skilled at safecracking and holdups, Lee Emory Downs robbed a San Jose, California, telephone company office in 1948, and two years later he was arrested in a Florida trailer park with dynamite and other weapons after a month on the Most Wanted List. After his parole in 1968, he was sent back to prison after attempting to rob the Colombian consulate in San Francisco.

Thomas Kling, a serial bank robber, spent two years on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted List before being arrested in New York City in 1952.

Courtney Townsend Taylor was a seasoned jewel thief who was spotted by a jeweler in Mobile, Alabama, who recognized his face from a flier, in 1951. The jeweler called the FBI and local police, and he was quickly apprehended. He'd spent one month on the FBI's list.

Harry H. Burton spent a year on the Most Wanted List for a 1951 murder (during which he was featured on the popular "True Detective Mysteries" radio show), but following his capture he was acquitted after a witness testified that he was actually at his dying mother's bedside during the time of the murder.