William H. Nicholson
William H. Nicholson (1869–1912) was the first African American fireman in the New York City Fire Department.[1]
Biography
[edit]Nicholson was born in 1869 in Virginia. He migrated to New York City and worked as a cement tester.[2] He joined the New York City Fire Department in Brooklyn in 1898 but due to "rank-and-file opposition" was detailed to the veterinary unit to feed the horses and shovel manure. However, he was allowed to appear in public as a firefighter every Fourth of July when the department mandated every able-bodied man work the streets.[1]
Nicholson retired due to poor health in December 1911 and died the following January.[3]
See also
[edit]- Wesley Augustus Williams —Third African American fireman in the New York City Fire Department
- Vulcan Society
Footnotes
[edit]- 1 2 Ginger Adams Otis (2015). Firefight: The Century-Long Battle to Integrate New York's Bravest. Macmillan. ISBN 9781137280015.
- ↑ "Colored Man Made Fireman. First One of His Race to Get On Force in New York City". New York Press. November 13, 1898.
- ↑ "Can A Colored Man Extinguish Brooklyn Fires". The Brownstone Detectives. Retrieved 2015-12-02.