Clifford Forrest Cotter: Bank Robbery & Abduction

Clifford Forrest Cotter was born 14 Feb 1913 in Birmingham, AL, to James Aloysius Cotter (1888-1952) & Cora May Boylan (1893-1952).

Inmate: #162366 NYC Police Dept

Rec: 27 Oct 1937

Crime: Abduction

Age: 24

He was also arrested for Bank Robbery in 1934 term was 10-29 yrs and fined $10,000. It is very strange that I found no newspaper articles on either crime.

His parents divorced and his mother re-married to James Cotter, her first husband she marring in 1911 George Taft would be Clifford's Biological father as she married James Cotter in 1944. George Taft died in 1937.

They had the following children besides Clifford

Virginia Taft

1916–

Glenn Thomas Taft

1933–2001

So as it goes most the time back then the kids would take on the next husbands last name, there usually was no need for a lawyer or anything back then to do this, although wasn't a legal name because of birth certificate, no one ever questioned it.

Clifford had several wives Dorothy L waters (1917-1985) they had two children Robert Forrest Cotter & Helen Claire Cotter.

Next wife was Bertha Allen who died in 1939

they had a son Clifford Forrest Cotter Jr. who was also in trouble with the law from time to time.

his last wife was Lucille Halko (1920-1982) they had 3 children

Charlotte Yvonne Cotter

Jeannie M Cotter

Jeffery F Cotter

I am a pretty good researcher, but this info may not be 100% correct, so I am just putting it out there in hopes a family member can give us more insight on all this. Hopefully someone will send me a newspaper article on his crimes so we now the outcome.

Clifford died 23 Apr 1994 in Riverside, CA. I did find his WWII Draft Card, and a written obit.

This is all assuming I have the correct Clifford F Cotter