Eugene J. Bullard, 1895-1961 / World’s First Black Combat Aviator
Eugene J. Bullard, 1895 - 1961
Bullard grew up in a small shotgun style house near this site. His father, William, was a laborer for the W. C. Bradley Company. Eugene completed the fifth grade at the 28th Street School. Shaken by the death of his mother, Josephine, and the near lynching of his father, Bullard left Columbus as a young teenager. In 1912, he stowed-away on a merchant ship out of Norfolk, Virginia. He spent the next 28 years of his life in Europe.
World’s First Black Combat Aviator
In World War I, Bullard earned the Croix de Guerre, France’s highest military medal, as an infantryman at the Battle of Verdun. He later flew some 20 missions as a French combat pilot. In the interwar years, he was a musician, club owner, and celebrity in Paris. He married a Parisian society woman with whom he raised two daughters. When Germany conquered France in 1940, Bullard came to New York where he worked in obscurity for the rest of his life.
Erected 2007 by The Historic Columbus Foundation and Historic Chattahoochee Commission.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • War, World I. A significant historical year for this entry is 1895.
Location. 32° 29.126′ N, 84° 58.662′
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Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Secondary Industrial School (approx. 0.3 miles away); Rose Hill / Mott-Fox-Huguley House (approx. half a mile away); Alma Woodsey Thomas (approx. half a mile away); Colored Department of the City Hospital / Doctors and Nurses (approx. half a mile away); Establishment of Memorial Day (approx. 0.6 miles away); Brigadier General Henry Lewis Benning (approx. 0.6 miles away); Linwood Cemetery (approx. 0.7 miles away); Columbus' First Jewish Cemetery (approx. 0.7 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Columbus.
Also see . . . Eugene J. Bullard. The New Georgia Encyclopedia website entry (Submitted on August 14, 2011, by David Seibert of Sandy Springs, Georgia.)
Credits. This page was last revised on October 26, 2021. It was originally submitted on August 8, 2011, by David Seibert of Sandy Springs, Georgia. This page has been viewed 1,483 times since then and 49 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. submitted on August 8, 2011, by David Seibert of Sandy Springs, Georgia. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.
