Joseph Colombo was an American gangster, best known as the boss of the Colombo crime family, one of the five most prominent mafia families in the U.S. He was born and raised in Brooklyn and hailed from a family of gangsters. His father, Anthony Colombo, was one of the earliest members of the notorious Profaci crime family. Joseph initially attended school in Brooklyn. However, he was not interested in academics and dropped out to join the ‘U.S. Coast Guard.’ He later took up many odd jobs, even working as a meat salesman and a longshoreman. However, he soon followed in his father’s footsteps and entered the world of crime by joining the Profaci family. He soon worked through the ranks in the family. He became popular after the outbreak of the First Colombo War. Joseph Magliocco, his boss, had assigned Joseph to kill several rival gang members. However, Joseph betrayed his own gang by revealing their plot to their enemies. Hence, Colombo was awarded the ruins of the Profaci family, which was later known as the Colombo crime family. In 1970, when the persecution of the Italian immigrants was at its peak, Joseph created the ‘Italian–American Civil Rights League.’ He was, however, shot by one of his enemies, Joe Gallo, in June 1971, during one of the rallies of the league. He died in 1978.