Samuel "Sam" Lewis Golden (December 14, 1921 – January 30, 2006) was the first black fire chief of the Oakland Fire Department.
Golden started working for the department in 1949 when it was still segregated. 1 Despite the barriers, he rose quickly through the ranks, and was chief from 1981 to 1987 when he retired.
In 1983, then-Governor George Deukmejian appointed Chief Golden to the California State Board of Fire Services. 1
Links and References
- Samuel Golden -- Oakland's first black fire chief SFGate.com February 6, 2006
- Test of Courage: The Making of a Firefighter
- Oral history interview with Samuel L. Golden African American Museum and Library at Oakland
- Samuel Lewis Golden on FindAGrave.com
