Bullard, Eugene Jacques, 1894-1961
Variant namesBiographical notes:
Eugene Jacques Bullard (born October 9, 1895, Columbus, Georgia – died October 12, 1961, New York City), born Eugene James Bullard, was the first black American military pilot. Bullard, who flew for France, was one of the few black combat pilots during World War I, along with William Robinson Clarke, a Jamaican who flew for the Royal Flying Corps, Domenico Mondelli from Italy and Ahmet Ali Çelikten of the Ottoman Empire. Also a boxer and a jazz musician, he was called L'Hirondelle noire in French, Black Swallow.
In the 1950s, Bullard was a relative stranger in his own homeland. His daughters had married, and he lived alone in his apartment, which was decorated with pictures of his famous friends and a framed case containing his 14 French war medals. His final job was as an elevator operator at the Rockefeller Center, where his fame as the "Black Swallow of Death" was unknown. On December 22, 1959, he was interviewed on NBC's Today Show by Dave Garroway and received hundreds of letters from viewers. Bullard wore his elevator operator uniform during the interview.
Bullard died in New York City of stomach cancer on October 12, 1961, at the age of 66. He was buried with military honors in the French War Veterans' section of Flushing Cemetery in the New York City borough of Queens. His friend Louis Armstrong is buried in the same cemetery.
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- Airmen
- Boxers (Sports)
- Jazz musicians
- Pilots
