Robert Oliver Lowery (April 20, 1916 – July 24, 2001) was sworn in as the 21st

New York City Fire Commissioner The New York City Fire Commissioner is the civilian administrator of the New York City Fire Department (FDNY), appointed by the Mayor of the City of New York. There have been 34 commissioners excluding Acting Fire Commissioners, and 38 commission ...

by Mayor John V. Lindsay on January 1, 1966, and held that position until his resignation on September 29, 1973.

Biography

Lowery left a job in Harlem as head usher for the Alhambra Theatre for his first civil service appointment. After taking a number of tests, he became a subway conductor for a year in the New York Transit Authority. His next post was with the

New York City Fire Department The New York City Fire Department, officially the Fire Department of the City of New York (FDNY), is an American department of the government of New York City that provides fire protection services, technical rescue/special operations services, ...

(FDNY). He was appointed as a

fireman A firefighter is a first responder and rescuer extensively trained in firefighting, primarily to extinguish hazardous fires that threaten life, property, and the environment as well as to rescue people and in some cases or jurisdictions also ...

in 1941 and promoted to

fire marshal A fire marshal, in the United States and Canada, is often a member of a state, provincial or territorial government, but may be part of a building department or a separate department altogether. Fire marshals' duties vary but usually in ...

in 1946, the same year that he won a commendation for arresting a man for 30 acts of arson and burglary. In 1960, he was cited for capturing an armed arsonist, and the year after became an acting lieutenant in the Bureau of Fire Investigation. During this time, Lowery was an active member of the

Vulcan Society The Vulcan Society, founded in 1940, is a fraternal organization of black firefighters in New York City, United States. History Early black recruits to the fire department Following the 1896 '' Plessy v. Ferguson'' ("separate but equal") Supreme ...

and its president from 1946 to 1950, 1953 and 1954, 1957, and from 1959 to 1963. On November 14, 1963, Lowery was appointed Deputy Fire Commissioner. He addressed the racial issue head on, striving to increase the proportion of blacks and the sensitivity of whites. He also increased the number of black firefighters assigned to black neighborhoods, as well as the number of blacks in leadership roles. On November 23, 1965, incoming mayor Lindsay announced the appointment of Lowery as Fire Commissioner of the New York City Fire Department. His was the first commissioner level appointment announced by the mayor-elect. Lowery, who was the first

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

to be a fire commissioner of a major U.S. city, held that position for more than 7 years until his resignation on September 29, 1973, in order to campaign for then-controller, Abraham D. Beame, the Democratic candidate for mayor. Lowery died on July 24, 2001, in

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

at the age of 85. Either as tribute or by happenstance, his name is shown prominently in a scene of the first movie ''

The Godfather ''The Godfather'' is a 1972 American crime film directed by Francis Ford Coppola, who co-wrote the screenplay with Mario Puzo, based on Puzo's best-selling 1969 novel of the same title. The film stars Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caa ...

'', printed in bold red letters on a hospital fire safety box in the scene where

Michael Corleone Michael Corleone is a fictional character and the protagonist of Mario Puzo's 1969 novel ''The Godfather''. In the three ''Godfather'' films, directed by Francis Ford Coppola, Michael was portrayed by Al Pacino, for which he was twice-nominate ...

protects his father,

Vito Corleone Vito Corleone (born Vito Andolini) is a fictional character in Mario Puzo's 1969 novel ''The Godfather'' and in the first two of Francis Ford Coppola's film trilogy. Vito is originally portrayed by Marlon Brando in the 1972 film ''The Godfathe ...

, against would-be assassins in the absence of his bodyguards. The action is set before 1946, however, so the reference is anachronistic.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lowery, Robert, O. 1916 births 2001 deaths People from New York City African-American people Commissioners of the New York City Fire Department Ethnic fraternal orders in the United States Organizations based in New York City African-American firefighting organizations African-American history in New York City African-American organizations