SAMUEL JESSE BATTLE

(Samuel James Battle)


Popular Quotes

Samuel Jesse Battle

I would rather have honesty and character than prestige and wealth. I can walk and ride the streets of this city, hold my head up, and look all men in the face.
0  
Citation

Battle was the grandson of a Revolutionary war soldier and the son of a former slave. He was the first person inducted into the New York City Police Force when it was first organized after the consolidation of the boroughs in 1898. He became the first Black Police Sargent and the first Black Lieutenant of the city and was probably the only Black senior police officer in the country at that time.

All Quotes
No Photo Available
  • Born: January 16, 1883
  • Died: August 7, 1966
  • Nationality:
  • Profession:
Biography

Samuel Jesse Battle was the first black police officer in New York City. After attending segregated schools in North Carolina, Battle moved north, first to Connecticut, then to New York City, where he took a job as a train porter and began studying for the New York City Police Department civil service exam. He was sworn in on March 6, 1911.