John Cheatham

John W. Cheatham (18551918) was an American firefighter in Minneapolis. 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. and after about five years he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant. Cheatham worked at several fire stations in Minneapolis in the first part of his career. Cheatham worked at the station until his retirement in 1911, after 23 years with the fire department.

Personal life Cheatham was married to Susie Cheatham. They owned a home at 3020 20th Avenue in Minneapolis. John and Susie had four children, Ethel, Bertha, Gilbert, and Wesley. Susie Cheatham died in 1906 from typhoid at the age of 46. John Cheatham died on August 15, 1918, at the age of 63, from chronic endocarditis. Cheatham was buried at the Pioneers and Soldiers Memorial Cemetery in Minneapolis alongside other family members. The city's fire department was not racially integrated again until 1972 after being ordered to do so by federal judge Earl Larson.

The city sold Fire Station 24 after its closure and it was used by a variety of private industrial businesses. In 2021, several organizations and activists sought historic designation status for the station building. The petition obtained 30,000 signatures, according to activists. After consulting with residents on Dight Avenue and offering several options, city officials decided to honor Cheatham's legacy by renaming Dight Avenue after him, with the re-designation taking place on March 17, 2022.

Cheatham Avenue is one of a few named streets in a section of Minneapolis where most streets are numbered. The street runs for 10 blocks on the city's southside, running parallel to Hiawatha Avenue.