Robert O. Lowery

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Robert Oliver Lowery (1916-2001) was sworn in as the 21st Fire Commissioner of the City of New York by Mayor John V. Lindsay on January 1, 1966 and served in that position until his resignation on September 29, 1973.

Lowery was appointed as a fireman in 1941. He was promoted to fire marshal in 1946, and that same year 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 next year became an acting lieutenant in the Bureau of Fire Investigation. ^[1]

On November 14, 1963, Lowery was appointed Deputy Fire Commissioner. ^[2] He addressed the racial issue straightforwardly, striving to increase the proportion of blacks and the sensitivity of whites. He also raised 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 to serve as a Fire Commissioner of a major U.S. city, served in 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. ^[3]

Lowery died on July 24, 2001 in New York, New York at the age of 85. ^[4]

[edit] Footnotes

Preceded by Martin Scott

FDNY Commissioner 1966-1973

Succeeded by John T. O'Hagan