Report of the President's Commission on the Assassination of President John F. Kennedy

第二章 With the assistance of Agent in Charge Sorrels of the

This chapter traces Jack Ruby’s transition from Jacob Rubenstein to “Jack L. Ruby” and documents his principal activities in Dallas from 1947 until the assassination of Lee Harvey Oswald in November 1963. It covers the name change, the operation of a succession of nightclubs and dance halls (the Singapore Supper Club, Silver Spur Club, Bob Wills Ranch House, Vegas Club, Sovereign Club, and Carousel Club), Ruby’s often turbulent relationships with his employees and entertainers, his chronic financial and tax difficulties (including a roughly $40,000 federal excise tax liability and persistent income tax arrears), and a variety of unsuccessful side ventures in which Ruby engaged alongside his nightclub work.

The Change of Name

The Change of Name Sometime in 1947, Jack Ruby’s brothers Earl and Sam, pursuant to a joint understanding, legally changed their surname from Rubenstein to Ruby. Earl testified that he made the change because everyone already called him Ruby and because a former employer advised that a “Jewish name” was disadvantageous for mail orders in Earl Products. On December 30, 1947, Jack secured a decree from the 68th Judicial District Court of Dallas changing his name to Jack L. Ruby, asserting that Rubenstein was misunderstood, was too long, and that he was “well known” as Jack L. Ruby. A Bureau of Narcotics report indicates Jack was already known as Ruby by October 29, 1947, although several Dallas associates still knew him as Rubenstein.

Nightclub Operations