John Anglin

John William Anglin (born May 2, 1930) was an American criminal and folk culture figure who took part in the infamous June 1962 Alcatraz escape.

The three men who took part in the escape attempt are officially listed by the Federal Bureau of Investigation as missing and presumed drowned. On October 12, 2015, however, a History Channel documentary, Alcatraz: Search For The Truth, provided new evidence in the case. A photograph and other items purporting to show Anglin and his brother Clarence on a farm in Brazil in the mid-1970s were provided to law enforcement by family members of the brothers. A retired investigator with the U.S. Marshals Service who formerly led the case in recent years had the photo analyzed by a forensic artist. The forensic expert stated the photo was likely to be of the brothers. An FBI investigator assigned to the case said the photo was worthy of further investigation.

Early years

John Anglin and his brother Clarence Anglin were born in Miller County (Colquitt) Georgia to a family with 14 children (7 boys and 7 girls), to George Robert Anglin and Rachael Van Miller Anglin, spent some of their life in Donalsonville, Seminole County Georgia and then moved to Ruskin, Florida. John and Clarence went to Michigan every May to pick cherries to help the family out financially and they learned to swim there in the cold waters. They usually robbed places that were closed to ensure that no one got injured, and the bank robbery was the only time they used a weapon which was a toy gun.

John Anglin (Medal of Honor)

John Anglin (October 6, 1850 – September 6, 1905) was a sailor in the U.S. Navy during the American Civil War. He received the Medal of Honor for his actions during the Second Battle of Fort Fisher on January 15, 1865. His last name is often misspelled Angling. He was one of the youngest ever Medal of Honor recipients.

Military service

Anglin volunteered for service in the U.S. Navy and was assigned as a Cabin Boy to the Union side-wheel gunboat USS Pontoosuc (1864). His enlistment is credited to the state of Maine.

On January 15, 1865, the North Carolina Confederate stronghold of Fort Fisher was taken by a combined Union storming party of sailors, marines, and soldiers under the command of Admiral David Dixon Porter and General Alfred Terry. Fourteen-year-old Anglin was exposed to enemy fire while serving on the deck of the USS Pontoosuc.

Anglin died in Portland, Maine on September 6, 1905 at the age of 54. He was buried in Calvary Cemetery in South Portland, Maine.