1940 Melvin Purvis Former FBI G-Man Who Took Down John Dillinger Original TYPE I Photo

Melvin Purvis (1903–1960) was the FBI's most celebrated field agent of the 1930s, heading the Chicago office under J. Edgar Hoover. He led the operations that took down three of America's most wanted criminals — John Dillinger, Pretty Boy Floyd, and Baby Face Nelson — making him a national hero. His fame ultimately destroyed him; Hoover, jealous of the publicity, systematically undermined him until Purvis resigned in 1935. The two never reconciled. Purvis died of a gunshot wound in 1960, ruled a suicide, using the same pistol his former colleagues had given him as a gift.

Offered is an original ACME News pictures TYPE I  Photo that measures 6” x 8” in size.  Original paper caption on back basically states:

Chicago, Illinois, July 16, 1940 — Former FBI agent Melvin Purvis, serving as a delegate from Florence, South Carolina, is shown speaking with Miss Clara G. McMillan, a delegate from Charleston, South Carolina, during the 1940 Democratic National Convention. The caption playfully speculates whether Purvis might know President Franklin D. Roosevelt's decision regarding an unprecedented third-term candidacy. (ACME Photo, July 16, 1940.)

Very rare image of the most famous FBI agent in FBI history!