Editor’s note, Sept. 4, 2020: This story has been updated to provide additional information about the Campisi family.
A reader asked Curious Texas: Did the Campisi family ever have ties to organized crime?
The Campisis are well-known for the family’s Italian restaurant chain.
David Campisi, the great-grandson of the first family members to move to the U.S., told D Magazine in 2016 that the rumors are simply rumors.
“Mysteries just add to that nostalgia and iconic nature of our brand,” he told the publication.
So why do people wonder?
The question traces as far back as President John F. Kennedy’s assassination, decades after the family arrived in Dallas.
According to the company’s website, Carlo Campisi and his wife Antonia, immigrated to New Orleans from Sicily in 1904. Later, a cousin sent a telegram about a grocery store for sale for $800 in the Dallas area.
The Campisis made their way here, worked in the grocery industry, and then bought a bar with a small kitchen at the corner of Knox St. and McKinney Ave. After a relative visiting from New York described the success of New York Italian pizzas, Carlo began a pizzeria.
After Carlo and his brother died, Carlo’s son Joseph Campisi continued to expand the family business, the restaurant’s site says.
Today, Campisi’s runs nine restaurants in the D-FW area.
Jack Ruby connection
Joseph Campisi’s possible ties to organized crime came up after Jack Ruby’s shooting of Lee Harvey Oswald just two days after Oswald assassinated President Kennedy in downtown Dallas on Nov. 22, 1963.
According to a report from the U.S. House Select Committee on Assassinations, Ruby had eaten at Campisi’s restaurant the night before Oswald shot Kennedy.
In its report, the committee noted that law enforcement files contained information suggesting that Joseph Campisi “occupied a position in organized crime.” But the committee said it “did not confirm or refute” Campisi’s alleged connection to the mob.
In 1978, The News reported on the subpoena of Campisi by the house committee. Campisi had visited Ruby in jail, and investigators were interested in conflicting reports Campisi gave before and after that visit.
According to The News, in a Nov. 25, 1963, interview, Campisi told FBI agents he had known Ruby since 1948 and had attended a number of sporting events with him.
In Campisi’s second interview, on Dec. 7, 1963, he said he knew nothing of Ruby’s background or associates, and never socialized with him.
The News’ 1978 story said Campisi had refused to comment about the house committee’s interest in him.
As the company’s website tells the tale, it’s unknown why Ruby requested the visit and what was discussed.
The Campisi family did not respond to The News’ request for comment.
If you are interested in learning more about Dallas’s unique history, consider becoming a Dallas News Plus subscriber at archives.dallasnews.com.
Tell us
What do you wonder about the culture, people and institutions of North Texas — and the rest of our great state? Help us investigate stories that matter to you.
No question is too big or too small. Let’s get started. Visit this link to pose your question or ask below.
