Hubert Fauntleroy Julian

Aviator, entertainer, and entrepreneur

• Born: January 5 or September 20, 1897
• Birthplace: Port of Spain, Trinidad
• Died: February 19, 1983
• Place of death: Bronx, New York

One of the first licensed African American pilots in the United States, Julian developed a reputation for his daring exploits in the cockpit. An innovator in airplane technology, Julian traveled the globe as a daredevil and flight instructor in his early life and as an arms dealer in his later life.

Early Life

In 1897, Hubert Fauntleroy Julian (HYEW-burt FAWNT-luh-roy JEWL-ee-uhn) was born in the British colony of Trinidad to a middle-class cocoa plantation manager. He received his early education in the state-administered Eastern Boys’ School, where he excelled in both academics and athletics. Educational opportunities in the colonial outpost proved limited, prompting many to leave for other destinations in the empire. With dreams of their son becoming a medical professional, Julian’s parents sent their teenage son to England.

Julian’s arrival in Europe coincided with the looming threat of widespread European war. When World War I began, Julian headed to Canada in search of a safer place in the British Empire in which to study. He completed high school in Montreal and took his first flying lessons from Canadian war hero and flying ace William “Billy” Bishop. Under Bishop’s guidance, Julian developed the technical prowess that would one day make him famous. At the age of nineteen, Julian received his Canadian pilot’s license and the honor of being one of the first pilots of African ancestry in the world. Several years later, Julian received patents in Canada and the United States for an airplane safety appliance he called a parachuttagravepreresistra, a pilot-activated parachute that slowed the descent of malfunctioning planes.

Life’s Work

In 1921, Julian moved to Harlem, New York, where he thrilled residents with his exploits. He often performed parachute jumps, sometimes dressed in a red jumpsuit and on one occasion playing a saxophone. Exploits such as these brought him media attention, prompting The New York Herald to call him “the Black Eagle of Harlem.” As his status grew, Julian developed grander plans, including a 1924 vow to make a trans-Atlantic flight. Luck, however, was not on his side. Before he flew out of sight, Julian’s outdated hydroplane, dubbed Ethiopia I, began falling to pieces and crashed into the water. In the late 1920’s, he announced another trans-Atlantic attempt. Several successful trans-Atlantic flights, including the first of its kind by Charles Lindbergh, undermined Julian’s intentions. Undeterred, Julian continued his quest for adventure and fame.

In 1930, Julian accepted an offer to train pilots for an aerial demonstration at the coronation of the new Ethiopian emperor, Haile Selassie. As in America, Julian drew large crowds as he performed stunts similar to those that first made him famous in Harlem. So impressed was Selassie that he bestowed honors on Julian, making the pilot an Ethiopian citizen and a colonel in the country’s air force. However, an unexpected crash of one of the nation’s only planes soured Ethiopia’s admiration for Julian, prompting his return to America. When fascist Italy began preparations for the invasion of Ethiopia in 1935, Julian volunteered to assist the country, although memories of his earlier crash kept his military role limited. Julian’s plans for glory were further thwarted by another African American aviator in Ethiopia, John C. Robinson, whose prowess in the cockpit was unmatched. Robinson received all of the publicity, while Julian remained grounded during the conflict.

Julian saw the advent of World War II as yet another opportunity to win renown. He volunteered for much action but saw none of it. He found his niche, however, during the war when he formed Black Eagle Associates, a firm that came to specialize in selling military hardware to developing nations. In the 1950’s through the 1960’s, Julian did business without regard to ideology, something that drew the attention of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) during the Cold War years. Repeated federal investigations blighted Julian’s reputation with an increasingly hostile press. He spent his later years seeking to avoid the limelight that he had once craved. Julian died February 19, 1983, in New York.

Significance

Not content to accept second-class status in America, Julian constantly challenged the restrictions that limited African Americans. Whether in the field of aviation, where he was a pioneer, or in his later business ventures, Julian pursued his own agenda regardless of how he might be perceived. A thrill-seeker and adventurer, the flashy Julian dreamed big and, in the process, set an example for others. Although his later business dealings cast a pall over his legacy, his pre-World War II career ensures his continued relevance.

Bibliography

Huggins, Nathan Irvin. Harlem Renaissance. Foreword by Arnold Rampersad. New York: Oxford University Press, 2007. Offers keen insight into the cultural milieu that Julian entered when he arrived in America. The energy and excitement in the community clearly influenced Julian’s own career.

Julian, Hubert F. Black Eagle: Colonel Hubert Julian. London: Jarrolds, 1964. Although this autobiography provides a good overview of Julian’s career, hyperbole and storytelling sometimes supersede facts.

Shaftel, David. “The Black Eagle of Harlem: The Truth Behind the Tall Tales of Hubert Fauntleroy Julian.” Air and Space 23, no. 5 (January 1, 2009): 58-63. Thoroughly researched article that explores the enigmatic Julian’s long and controversial career.