William H. Hamer, Atlanta’s first Black fire chief, dies at 86
Credit: Courtesy City of Atlanta
In a 1985 interview, William H. Hamer summed up what carried him most of his life.
“I never lost a fight because we never started a fight we couldn’t win anyway,” he said.
It was that shrewdness and determination that in 1963 placed him in the class of Atlanta’s original group of Black firemen.
It is what convinced him in 1974 to be part of a group of those same Black firemen to sue the city for discrimination after being denied promotions.
And it what led him in 1985 to be appointed by former Mayor Andrew Young as the city’s first Black fire chief.
Credit: Atlanta Fire & Rescue Department
“I had the honor of rising through the ranks in a department shaped by his vision,” said Atlanta Fire & Rescue Chief Roderick M. Smith in a statement. “His words — ‘We never started a fight we couldn’t win anyway’ — still guide our approach to fighting fires today.”
William H. Hamer, Atlanta’s first Black fire chief and pioneering figure in the city’s public safety history, died July 10 of Alzheimer’s disease at Piedmont Hospital. He was 86.
His funeral will be held at Hoosier United Methodist Church on July 19 at 11 a.m.
Hamer was born in Florence, Alabama, in 1939 and eventually attended Morris Brown College.
He joined the Atlanta Fire Department in 1963 as part of a pioneering group of 16 Black firefighters who integrated the department, while breaking racial barriers within the organization.
Credit: KDJOHNSON@AJC.COM
In 1974, Hamer and four other Black firefighters filed a federal lawsuit against the city of Atlanta, challenging the discriminatory hiring and promotion practices within the fire department and pushing for equal opportunities in public service.
Four years later, in 1978, former Mayor Maynard Jackson hired George Napper as the first African American police chief.
Hamer’s appointment by Young in 1985 as the first Black fire chief continued marking racial change in Atlanta’s public service.
“Most of us will never know the pressures of being the ‘first,’” said Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens. “What we do know though is that this city will never stop celebrating the legacy of fortitude, faith and fearlessness that Chief Hamer and his trailblazing compatriots have left with us.”
Hamer’s son, Carlos Hamer, remembers his father’s leadership abilities and sacrifices he made to not only further the idea of Black leadership in the fire department, but keep the people of Atlanta safe.
“He believed in helping the community, strictly helping the community, giving to the community, especially the Black community,” Carlos Hamer said. “He made it easier for younger Black men and women to move up in the fire department.”
Credit: Kent Johnson / AJC
Carlos Hamer holds the belief that his father — who would also serve as president of the International Association of Black Professional Fire Fighters — was not just a trailblazer in the Atlanta Fire Department, but as a man deeply committed to helping others.
He also saw him as a motivational figure against oppression.
Through Chief Hamer’s sacrifices, African American women were also allowed to serve without discriminatory barriers in the Atlanta Fire Department as well.
“He really thought that we should be able to better ourselves and not give in to racism, to continue to strive, continue to fight for equality throughout,” Carlos Hamer said. “He wanted that for not just African American men, but women as well.”
Despite all of his achievements in the fire department, Hamer’s tenure as chief was brief. In 1988, he resigned from the department after admitting to ordering firefighters to fill his private swimming pool.
But Hamer’s 25 years of service, including as an original firefighter, helped open doors. Following his resignation, five African Americans have ascended to the post of Atlanta fire chief.
In 2023, the Atlanta City Council declared April 3 as “William H. Hamer Day” to honor his steadfast leadership and service and recognize him as a gateway toward the diversification of Atlanta Fire & Rescue Department.
Hamer is survived by his wife, Eva Hamer; three sons Carlos, Jeffery and Davey; and one daughter, Andrea, all of Atlanta.
About the Author
Zaire Breedlove is an intern for AJC's UATL and a journalism major at Kennesaw State University. In the past, he's written and managed The Sentinel, and served as a Reporter for Fresh Take Georgia at the Center for Sustainable Journalism, focusing on Immigration and statewide political coverage.
