Lincoln Fitzgerald
Lincoln Fitzgerald (October 21, 1892 – April 18, 1981) was an American casino owner who ran three Nevada casinos. He was born in San Francisco and served in the U.S. Army during World War I. In Detroit he gambled and worked with the Detroit Purple Gang, operating several gambling venues, including the Detroit Gambling Club.
In 1946 he moved to Reno, Nevada, with partner Danny Sullivan and opened The Nevada Club. They had been charged in Michigan with bribery and illegal gambling and paid about $52,000 in fines and costs. In 1976 Fitzgerald opened Fitzgeralds Casino & Hotel, a 16-story casino in Reno. By the time of his death, he operated three casinos: Fitzgeralds in Reno, The Nevada Club in Reno, and the Nevada Lodge at Lake Tahoe.
On November 19, 1949, Fitzgerald survived a shotgun attack in his garage; the blast damaged his spine and left more than 110 pellets in his body, and he walked with a limp afterward. The shooter was never found, but authorities suspected the Purple Gang. After the attack he lived mainly at the Nevada Club and began storing casino items in a Reno warehouse. After his death, coin dealer Ron Gillio bought these items and called them the Fitzgerald Hoard, which included casino chips and about 100,000 silver dollars.
He was married to Meta Konarske. He died at Washoe Medical Center in Reno after an illness and is buried at Mountain View Cemetery in Washoe Valley.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 15:26 (CET).