The early story of Stephanie St. Clair, aka Madame Queenie, life is a mystery. One thing we know for sure is she was born on the French east Caribbean Island of Guadeloupe on December 24, 1897. She was educated and could not only read and write, but spoke fluent French as well as Spanish, which was rare in those days especially for black women. St. Clair arrived in Harlem around 1912, and settled into the black community in Harlem on the northeast side of Manhattan.
She was known to be pretensions, sophisticated and educated. St. Clair could also hang with the best of them. She wasn’t afraid to give someone a piece of her mind in profanity while exhibiting her fierce nature in rage. St. Clair’s well-known temper was often present when dealing with her rivals such as the police and intolerant business owners that intruded on her turf. Around the age of 23, St. Clair started a numbers racket designed for the African-American community. While it made her rich beyond her wildest dreams it also made her a target for other mobsters and the police.