Bertha Whedbee Explained

Bertha Par Simmons Whedbee (1876 - 1960) was an activist, suffragist, and first African American woman to become a police officer in Louisville, Kentucky.

Biography

Whedbee was born as Bertha Par Simmons in West Virginia in 1879.[1] [2] She later became a kindergarten teacher, graduating from the first class of the Colored Kindergarten Association in 1901.[3] [4] She married a physician, Ellis D. Whedbee, in 1898. They moved to Louisville, Kentucky and had four children together.[5] Whedbee became involved in the women's suffrage movement in Louisville.[6]

In 1919 Bertha Whedbee was inspired to become a police officer herself after local police officers arrested her 17-year-old son, Ellis Jr, as a robbery suspect. Later, the officers charged Ellis with disorderly conduct and a $10 fine. Whedbee didn't believe the charges and confronted the police about the charges, where she was then arrested and charged with a $10 fine as well.[7] Bertha's fine was later suspended, but the fine for her son was upheld.[8] [9] The Whedbees filed a suit against the police station master. On March 3, 1922, she presented a petition that she be appointed a police officer.[10] Whedbee went on to become the first African American woman to work for the Louisville Metro Police Department when she started on March 22, 1922.[11] [12] Her mandate was to work only among other African Americans in the community. She worked on the police force until 1927 when she resigned in protest when the other African American officers were dismissed by a new city administration.[13]

Bertha Whedbee died in 1960.[14] She was buried in Louisville Cemetery. There were no headstones for either Bertha or Ellis Sr. Whedbee until they were installed in 2018.[15]

Notes and References

  1. News: 2020-03-01. Bertha Whedbee. E6. The Courier-Journal. 2022-01-19. Newspapers.com.
  2. Web site: Bertha P. Whedbee (1876-1960). 2022-01-19. League of Women Voters of Kentucky. 25 April 2020 . en-US.
  3. Web site: Bertha Whedbee. January 19, 2022. Kentucky Center for African American Heritage. 25 February 2021 .
  4. News: 1901-06-19. Six Graduates. 8. The Courier-Journal. 2022-01-21. Newspapers.com.
  5. Web site: Dr. Ellis Whedbee. 2022-01-19. Humanities and Social Sciences Online.
  6. Web site: 2020-10-22. African American Women and Suffrage in Louisville. 2022-01-21. ArcGIS StoryMaps. en.
  7. News: 1919-05-04. Negro Boy's Mother Arrested When She Demands His Release. 2. The Courier-Journal. 2022-01-21. Newspapers.com.
  8. News: 1919-05-10. Negro Boy is Fined for Abusing Police. 16. The Courier-Journal. 2022-01-21. Newspapers.com.
  9. News: 1919-05-21. One Policeman Is Fine and Another Cleared by Board. 14. The Courier-Journal. 2022-01-21. Newspapers.com.
  10. Book: Childress, Morton O.. Louisville Division of Police: History & Personnel. 2005. Turner Publishing Company. 978-1-59652-060-8. Paducah, Kentucky. 71. en.
  11. News: 2007-02-01. Famous Firsts: Law Enforcement. B1. The Courier-Journal. 2022-01-19. Newspapers.com.
  12. News: 1922-03-23. Negro Policewoman is Appointed in Louisville. 12. Lexington Herald-Leader. 2022-01-19. Newspapers.com.
  13. Book: Mattingly. Carol. Louisville Women and the Suffrage Movement: 100 Years of the 19th Amendment. Allen. Ann Taylor. Luken. Alexandra A.. Dietz. Collen M.. Cave Hill Heritage Foundation. 2020. Louisville, Kentucky. 23. en.
  14. News: 1960-05-01. Kentuckiana Deaths. 75. The Courier-Journal. 2022-01-21. Newspapers.com.
  15. Web site: Hasch. Brooke. February 20, 2021. From Kindergarten to Cop The story behind Louisville's first Black female police officer. 2022-01-19. WHAS 11. en-US.

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