William Boyd Lindsay - First African American Trooper commissioned in the Illinois State Police and the United States.

William Boyd Lindsay was born on January 14, 1915, in Montgomery, Alabama. After attending the Tuskegee Institute of Steam Engineering, and the Armor Institute in Stationary Engineering, he worked as a roundhouse fireman on the New York Central Railroad. During that time, he became Chairman of Brotherhood of Railway Firemen in Oilers and Shop Workers American Federation of Labor of Local 570.

On July 23, 1941, Lindsay was commissioned as the first African American Trooper in the Illinois State Police as well as in the United States. Assigned badge #262, Lindsay began his Cadet training as a member of Cadet Class 1. At that time, the Illinois State Police was known as the Illinois State Highway Maintenance Police.

During his five years on the force, Lindsay advanced to serve as a Sergeant. In 1946, Lindsay transferred to the Chicago Police Department, where he stayed until his retirement in 1966. In 1968, Lindsay moved to Miami, Florida, where he lived until his death in August 2000 at the age of 85.

Lindsay was a self-made man, who blazed a trial for himself and all that followed. He was intelligent and personable with an extroverted personality, and never met a stranger. Lindsay treated all people with dignity and respect regardless of their station in life. Lindsay had a gift for public speaking that could hold an audience with his stories and message.

We honor William Boyd Lindsay’s memory and pay tribute to the foundation he and others like him laid before us to build upon our future. Therefore, it is only fitting that this project, “Trooper 262 Project,” which was initiated by the aspiration to research and share his story, is named in his honor.