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), and is appointed by the mayor of the City of New York. Prior to 1865, the New York City Fire Department was staffed by volunteers. On ...

by Mayor

John V. Lindsay John Vliet Lindsay (; November 24, 1921 – December 19, 2000) was an American politician and lawyer. During his political career, Lindsay was a U.S. congressman, the mayor of New York City, and a candidate for U.S. president. He was also a regu ...

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 The Alhambra Theatre was a popular theatre and music hall located on the east side of Leicester Square, in the West End of London. It was built as the Royal Panopticon of Science and Arts, opening on 18 March 1854. It was closed after two yea ...

for his first civil service appointment. After taking a number of tests, he became a subway

conductor Conductor or conduction may refer to: Biology and medicine * Bone conduction, the conduction of sound to the inner ear * Conduction aphasia, a language disorder Mathematics * Conductor (ring theory) * Conductor of an abelian variety * Cond ...

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 the full-service fire department of New York City, serving all Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs. The FDNY is responsible for providing Fi ...

(FDNY). He was appointed as a

fireman A firefighter (or fire fighter or fireman) is a first responder trained in specific emergency response such as firefighting, primarily to control and extinguish fires and respond to emergencies such as hazardous material incidents, medical in ...

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 include ...

in 1946, the same year that he won a commendation for arresting a man for 30 acts of

arson Arson is the act of willfully and deliberately setting fire to or charring property. Although the act of arson typically involves buildings, the term can also refer to the intentional burning of other things, such as motor vehicles, watercr ...

and

burglary Burglary, also called breaking and entering (B&E) or housebreaking, is a property crime involving the illegal entry into a building or other area without permission, typically with the intention of committing a further criminal offence. Usually ...

. 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 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 known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

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 Abraham David Beame (''né'' Birnbaum; March 20, 1906February 10, 2001) was an American accountant, investor, and Democratic Party politician who served from 1974 to 1977 as the 104th mayor of New York City. Beame presided over the city during ...

, the Democratic candidate for mayor. Lowery died on July 24, 2001, in

Manhattan Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...

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 Epic film, epic crime film directed by Francis Ford Coppola, who co-wrote the screenplay with Mario Puzo, based on Puzo's best-selling The Godfather (novel), 1969 novel. The film stars an ensemble cast inc ...

'', 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 (novel), The Godfather''. In the The Godfather (film series), three ''Godfather'' films, directed by Francis Ford Coppola, Michael was portr ...

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 Godfath ...

, 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 20th-century African-American politicians 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