Hugh Mulzac
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| Hugh Mulzac | |
 Captain Mulzac served in World War I and World War II
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| Born | March 26, 1886 Union Island in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines |
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| Died | 1971 |
| Title | Master Mariner |
Hugh Mulzac (March 26, 1886–1971) was an African-American member of the United States Merchant Marine. He earned his Master rating in 1918 which should have qualified him to command a ship, but this did not happen until 1942 because of racial discrimination.[1]
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[edit] Life and career
[edit] Early life
Born on March 26, 1886 on Union Island in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines,[1] his life at sea started right after high school when he served on British schooners.[2]
With a mate's license[3] from Swansea Nautical College[1] he rose to the rank of mate before immigrating to the United States in 1918. Within 2 years he had earned the first ever master's certificate ever issued to an African American.[4] He served as a mate on the SS Yarmouth of the Black Star Line until that line went out of business in 1922.[2]
For the next two decades the only shipboard work Mulzac could get was in the steward's departments on several shipping lines.[3]
[edit] World War II
In 1942 he was offered command of the SS Booker T. Washington, the first Liberty ship to be named after an African-American. He refused at first because the crew was to be all black. He insisted on an integrated crew, stating, "Under no circumstances will I command a Jim Crow vessel."[1][4] The Merchant Marine finally gave in and agreed to an integrated crew, and he took command from 1942-1947, making 22 round trip voyages.[3]
[edit] After the war
After the war, Mulzac again couldn't get command of a ship. In 1948 he unsuccessfully filed a lawsuit against the ship's operators. Then in 1950 he made a bid for Queens Borough President under the American Labor Party ticket. He lost the election, having gotten 15,500 votes.[2]
Due to his strong ties to the labor movement, he found himself blacklisted in the era of McCarthyism.[3] In 1960 a Federal Judge restored his seaman's papers and license, and at the age of 74 he was able to find work as a night mate.[2]
Captain Mulzac died in 1971.
[edit] In popular culture
- He was mentioned in the episode "A Nugget of History" in the television series The Suite Life of Zack and Cody on the Disney Channel.
[edit] Further reading
- Mulzac, Hugh [1965]. A Star to Steer By. Seven Seas Publishers. ISBN B000-7JUWU-M.
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d African-Americans in the U.S. Merchant Marine and U.S. Maritime Service. U.S. Maritime Service Veterans (2003-11-17). Retrieved on 2007-02-24.
- ^ a b c d Rydell, Roy. "Maritime association honors Black seamen", People's Weekly World, Long View Publishing Co., 2000-02-16. Retrieved on 2007-02-25.
- ^ a b c d WORLD WAR II AND HUGH MULZAC. United States Maritime Administration. Retrieved on 2007-02-24.
- ^ a b "First Negro Skipper", Time Magazine, 1942-10-05. Retrieved on 2007-02-25.
[edit] External links
- SS Booker T Washington Images at the U.S. National Archive
