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- Las Vegas Review-Journal
John Bassett
John "Sparky" Bassett, 77, of Las Vegas, died Nov. 21, 2004. He retired from the FBI and served in the U.S. Coast Guard. He is survived by his son, John Bassett of Houston; and daughter, Mary Gray of Visalia, Calif. Services will be private, Donations can be made to any local hospice.
John 'Sparky" Robert Bassett
John was born April 26, 1927, in Camden, N.J. to Kenneth Bassett and Catherine Burns Bassett. As a youngster he developed an interest in boxing. He attended Cathedral High School in Burlington but joined the Coast Guard in 1944 at the age of 17 before graduating.....
Saturday, 4 Dec 2004, Chicago Tribune
John R. Bassett, 77
FBI agent in Chicago investigated mobsters
By Barbara Sherlock
Tribune staff reporter
From being a professional fighter in New York City boxing rings as a teenager, John R. Bassett turned to fighting organized crime in Chicago as an FBI agent.
He became a part of every major mob investigation in the city during the 1960s and early 1970s, exposing the corruption of notorious mobsters such as Sam Giancana, "Milwaukee Phil" Alderisio and Jackie Cerone.
"John was a great agent and worked for me during the day when organized crime was really very, very entrenched in Chicago," said Vincent Inserra, retired supervisor of the department's organized crime squad.
"He was one of our principal investigators... in our battle against organized crime. He was involved in numerous organized crime investigations that led to the conviction of a number of those in the Chicago hoodlum hierarchy which drastically disrupted and curtailed their activities in the city over the years."
Mr. Bassett, 77, formerly of Chicago and Panama City Beach, Fla., died of heart attack, Sunday, Nov. 21 in a Nevada hospital.
He was born in Camden, N.J., but primarily was raised in Burlington, Vt.
After his father left when he was 14, Mr. Bassett turned to boxing as a way to help his mother with expenses.
At 15, he appeared on his first boxing card in neighboring Massachusetts as "Irish Johnny Burns," using his mother's maiden name and adding four years to his age. Enforcement officials discovered his deception at his second bout and he was banned from boxing in that state, according to his family.
Mr. Bassett left high school at 17 to join the Coast Guard and was one of its boxing instructors for two years before returning to Burlington. He then earned his GED in 1946 through the University of Vermont, taking classes in the morning, delivering beer in the afternoon, and boxing at night.
Later that year he moved to New York and boxed professionally for three years as a light heavyweight.
But love won out over boxing and he quit the sport to marry his high school sweetheart, Elaine Paquette, in 1950. He then enrolled at Seton Hall University and worked nights as foot patrolman for the East Orange, N.J. Police Department. He graduated in 1953 with a degree in physical education and the following year was accepted into the FBI's training program in Quantico, Va.
He was an agent in Buffalo, N.Y. and Charlotte, N.C., before being assigned to Chicago in 1961 and within a year, was placed in the FBI's organized crime unit.
In the mid 1970s, he moved to Washington to become the personal assistant to the associate director of the FBI.
He spoke little with his family of his work while still on the job but often reminisced after he retired in 1976, said his son, John.
"That had been an interesting time for him and was pretty exciting," said his son. "His life wasn't dull."
His wife died in 1998.
Other survivors include his daughter, Mary Kay Gray; and three grandchildren. Services are private.
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Bassett Family Association Database
1927 - 2004 (77 years)