John Cheatham
John Cheatham (18551918) was an American firefighter in Minneapolis during the late 19th-century and the early 20th-century. Born as an enslaved person in St. Louis, Missouri, Cheatham was freed at the age of eight by the Emancipation Proclamation, and then moved to Minneapolis, Minnesota, with his family shortly thereafter. In 1883, at the age of 33, Cheatham was appointed as one of the first Black firefighters in Minneapolis. He held several leadership positions during his fire department career. In 2022, the City of Minneapolis re-designated a street in the Longfellow community as Cheatham Avenue to honor his legacy of racial integration within the city’s fire department. Early life John W. Cheatham was born in 1855 to an enslaved family in the U.S. state of Missouri. His family was freed by the Emancipation Proclamation of 1862. Shortly thereafter, at the age of eight, his family moved from St. Louis, Missouri, to Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Cheathams were among the first Black families to reside in Minneapolis. Career Cheatham worked as a laborer. He held jobs as a church sexton and porter. In 1888, at the age of 33, Cheatham was appointed to the Minneapolis Fire Department by a White fire chief. He