A Black Police Officer Is Reinstated, 121 Years Later
In 1889, Robert William Stewart became one of the first Black police officers ever hired in California.He had traveled far to get there. Mr. Stewart was born into slavery in Kentucky in 1850 and was freed after the Civil War. He worked his way across the United States before joining the Los Angeles Police Department, which had never hired a Black officer before.
Despite frequent harassment, Mr. Stewart stayed on the force until 1900, when a white teenager accused him of sexual assault. He never regained his badge during his lifetime, even after a jury acquitted him.
After he was fired from the Police Department in 1900, Mr. Stewart remained in Los Angeles. Mr. Davison’s research found that he worked as a laborer and a janitor before he died of prostate cancer in 1931 at age 81, leaving behind a wife and son. The death was covered by The California Eagle, a Black-owned newspaper, which called Mr. Stewart a pioneer who was “known far and wide for his staunch and dependable character” and “honored for his integrity and public spirited citizenship.”
Despite frequent harassment, Mr. Stewart stayed on the force until 1900, when a white teenager accused him of sexual assault. He never regained his badge during his lifetime, even after a jury acquitted him.
After he was fired from the Police Department in 1900, Mr. Stewart remained in Los Angeles. Mr. Davison’s research found that he worked as a laborer and a janitor before he died of prostate cancer in 1931 at age 81, leaving behind a wife and son. The death was covered by The California Eagle, a Black-owned newspaper, which called Mr. Stewart a pioneer who was “known far and wide for his staunch and dependable character” and “honored for his integrity and public spirited citizenship.”
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