Ma Barker

Ma Barker was an American criminal associated with the Barker gang, formed by her sons. Federal agents killed her during a 1935 shootout in Florida.

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Fred Barker: Fred Barker was an American criminal and a leading member of the Barker gang. Ma Barker’s son and a central figure in the gang, he was killed alongside her in 1935.
Barker–Karpis Gang: The Barker–Karpis Gang was a criminal group led by Fred Barker and Alvin Karpis during the early 1930s. It is the best-known name for the group associated with Ma Barker and her sons.
Public enemy: A public enemy is a criminal whom authorities and the press identify as a major threat to public safety. The label placed the Barker gang within the era’s national campaign against notorious criminals.
Ma Barker myth: The Ma Barker myth portrays her as a commanding criminal mastermind who directed her sons’ gang. This popular image exceeds the evidence that she planned or led the gang’s crimes.
Arthur Barker: Arthur Barker was an American criminal and a member of the Barker gang. Her son’s crimes helped shape the gang’s history; he was captured in 1935.
Alvin Karpis: Alvin Karpis was a Canadian-American criminal and a leader of the Barker–Karpis Gang. His partnership with Fred Barker made the gang larger than Ma Barker’s family.
Machine Gun Kelly: George “Machine Gun Kelly” Barnes was an American gangster and kidnapper active during Prohibition. Like Barker, he became a notorious target of federal agents and sensational crime reporting.
Federal Bureau of Investigation folklore: Federal Bureau of Investigation folklore is the agency’s popularized storytelling about its history, agents, and cases. The bureau’s accounts helped establish Barker as a dangerous gang leader.
Lloyd Barker: Lloyd Barker was an American criminal and an older brother of Fred and Arthur Barker. Her son was connected to the family’s early criminal activity but was not part of the 1935 shootout.
Kidnapping of Edward Bremer: The 1934 kidnapping of banker Edward Bremer in Saint Paul, Minnesota, was carried out by members of the Barker–Karpis Gang. The kidnapping intensified the federal pursuit that eventually reached the Barker household.