He was also a Democrat and a political leader who was a president of the Unione Siciliana and was involved in a heated battle for alderman.
In June, 1899, D'Andrea moved to Chicago, where he was ordained a priest and appointed pastor of St. Anthony's Italian (Independent) Catholic Church under Bishop Antoni Kozlowski [pl].
In Chicago, D'Andrea met a young German woman, Carolina "Lena" Wagner.
[1] D'Andrea, because of his education, assisted other Italian immigrants with legal issues and worked as a professional translator.
That same year Joseph D'Andrea (no relation to Anthony) was elected president of Local 286 of the International Hod Carriers' Building and Construction Union.
Joseph, a friend and associate of South Side Gang boss James Colosimo, allegedly introduced labor racketeering into his union.
The Nineteenth ward, home to many Italian immigrants, suffered from a very high homicide rate, due to a large number of "honor killings" and Black Hand murders.
Before election day, D'Andrea dropped out of the race because the Chicago Tribune and other local newspapers had exposed his criminal past.
[2] In 1919, D'Andrea became president of the Chicago head chapter of the Unione Siciliana, a charitable organization dedicated to helping poor Sicilian immigrants.
In the early morning hours of May 11, 1921, D'Andrea was shot while entering his apartment, and died the next day at Jefferson Park Hospital.
[4] Mike Merlo, who was vacationing in Italy when he heard the news, immediately ordered the assassin's murder.