William McCoy (bootlegger)

William McCoy (1877–1948) was an American sea captain and bootlegger during the Prohibition era. He is credited with pioneering the act of rum-running, i.e., smuggling alcohol from places where it was produced legally to areas where it was illegal, on a large scale.

Early Life

McCoy was born in 1877 in Syracuse, New York. He and his brother Ben ran a shipbuilding business in Florida before the Prohibition era. When the Volstead Act was passed in 1919, prohibiting the manufacture, sale, and transportation of alcoholic beverages in the United States, the brothers saw an opportunity to make money by smuggling alcohol from the Caribbean to the U.S.

Bootlegging Career

McCoy's operation involved sailing to the Caribbean, loading up on alcohol, and then returning to the U.S. to sell it. He would anchor his ship, the Tomoka, in international waters off the coast of Florida and New York, where smaller boats would come to collect the alcohol. This method of smuggling became known as "rum-running."

McCoy was known for never watering down his alcohol, a common practice among other bootleggers to increase their profits. This earned him a reputation for selling only "the real McCoy," a phrase that is believed to have originated from his operation.

Arrest and Later Life

In 1923, McCoy was arrested by the U.S. Coast Guard for violation of the Volstead Act. He was sentenced to nine months in prison. After his release, he retired from bootlegging and returned to Florida, where he invested in real estate and lived until his death in 1948.

Legacy

McCoy's story has been the subject of several books and documentaries. His operation during the Prohibition era has made him a legendary figure in American history. The phrase "the real McCoy," meaning genuine or authentic, is believed to have originated from his bootlegging operation.