The echoes of Prohibition still reverberate through law school halls, where the tale of George Remus, a Cincinnati bootlegger turned emblem of early 20th-century American contradiction, lingers. Known for his grasp of the era’s legal loopholes, Remus built an empire on medicinal alcohol while Prohibition sought to dry out the nation’s spirits. A recent conversation with UC Law professor Christopher Bryant shone a light on this murky chapter of the Queen City’s past.
Remus, who began his gambit as a pharmacist and then pivoted to law, found the perfect intersection of professions to exploit the Prohibition’s sole exception—medicinal alcohol. “Remus was perfectly positioned to exploit this because he was a pharmacist who became a lawyer,” according to UC News, Bryant told WLWT in their segment. However, the empire Remus erected quickly crumbled when his criminal activities caught the eye of law enforcement, landing him behind bars—a fate ironic for a man once steeped in legalities.
While imprisoned, Remus faced personal treachery as his second wife, Imogene, dismantled his alcohol kingdom. Their tale culminated in tragedy in Cincinnati’s Eden Park, where Remus, driven by rage, publicly ended Imogene’s life. The subsequent trial saw Remus lean on a temporary insanity defense, a move that not only freed him but also marked a significant moment in legal history. It was a case that said less about the man himself and more about the temperance movement’s overarching reach into private lives and personal despair…