Joseph Force Crater (January 5, 1889 – disappeared August 6, 1930) was a 41-year-old
New York City judge who vanished while out on a night on the town. He was last seen leaving a restaurant on West 45th Street, and entered
popular culture of the 1930s as the "The Missingest Man in
New York." Despite massive publicity, no trace of him was ever found, and nine years later he was declared legally dead. The disappearance added to public disquiet about
corruption in
city government and was a factor in the downfall of the
Tammany Hall political machine.