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1908 - Vito Adamo (? to 1913). Adamo is regarded as the first Mafia leader in the Detroit community.
1913 - Antonio Gianolla (? to 1919). Adamo's death in 1913 allowed Antonio Gianolla to take the leadership of the local Sicilian underworld.
1919 - Angelo Meli (? to ?). Meli succeeded to the family boss position upon Gianolla's death in 1919.
1921 - Gaspare Milazzo (1887 to May 31, 1930). Formerly a senior member of the Magaddino Mafia unit in Brooklyn, Milazzo fled west to escape prosecution for murder. He was welcomed into the leadership group of the Detroit crime family. That group included Angelo Meli, Bill Tocco and Joe Zerilli.
 1930 - Cesare "Chester" Lemare (June 6, 1887, to Feb. 7, 1931). Possibly due to prompting by New York's Joe Masseria, who despised Milazzo and all Castellamarese, Lemare (the name was also spelled "Lamare") set up a hit against Milazzo. On May 31, 1930, Milazzo and his aide Sasa Parrino were killed in the "fish market murders." Masseria ignored the other members of the Detroit leadership and supported Lemare as Detroit family head. Lemare did not survive a year in his new job.
1931 - Guglielmo Tocco (? to ?). "Bill" Tocco emerged as the main Detroit underworld authority at the conclusion of the Castellamarese War. Former boss Chester Lemare was shot to death at his home on Feb. 7, 1931, probably by someone he knew.
 1936 - Joseph Zerilli (1898 to Oct. 30, 1977). Zerilli replaced Tocco in 1936 and reigned over the Detroit Mafia for three decades until his death late in 1977.
1978 - Giovanni Priziola (? to 1979). Upon Zerilli's death, Priziola attempted to seize control of the Detroit family. He survived just one year.
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