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Carlo Tramonti is a fictional character in the novels The Godfather and The Godfather's Revenge. In the universe of the novels, he is the Don of the Tramonti crime family (inspired of New Orleans crime family) from 1931 to 1964.
Character overview
Tramonti emigrates from Sicily as a young boy and settles in Florida. He exterminates rivals who were backed by police and takes over their gambling operations. He then opens ties with Cuba and Batista, supplying the dictator with illegal casinos and whorehouses.
By the 1950s, he owns a very luxurious Miami beach hotel. He also owns every business in New Orleans. He gets his nickname, "The Whale," by swallowing up every business that came his way. He is also a reputed womanizer and has many children out of wedlock. Over time, he and his brother, Agostino, establish the Tramonti family as a force to be reckoned with.
Tramonti is a minor character in Mario Puzo's original novel, but his actions in Mark Winegardner's 2006 sequel are of great significance to the plot. This novel explains that, in 1963, Tramonti is arrested by Immigrant agents at the behest of Attorney General Danny Shea. Angered by the embarrassment, he plans to kill President James Shea, the Attorney General's brother. In 1964, he sends hitman Juan Carlos Santiago to assassinate President Shea, and pins the murder on the novel's main antagonist, Nick Geraci. The novel's epilogue explains that, in 1968, he is called to an investigation committee about the president's assassination. Before he can testify, however, he is shot twice in the head in his car and stabbed with a meat cleaver.
Tramonti is largely based on Carlos Marcello and Tampa mob boss Santo Trafficante, Jr..