Bull Connor
A Birmingham public safety commissioner whose brutal tactics against civil rights protesters galvanized national support for the movement he sought to crush.
1897–1973 (age 76)·American government official and segregationist·Birthday: July 11·The Lost Generation
Biography
Theophilus Eugene "Bull" Connor is forever etched into American history as the snarling face of violent segregation. As Birmingham's Commissioner of Public Safety for over two decades, he wielded control over the city's police and fire departments with an iron fist. In the spring of 1963, as Martin Luther King Jr. and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference launched a campaign to desegregate the city, Connor responded with a viciousness that shocked the world. He ordered police dogs to attack unarmed demonstrators and directed firefighters to turn high-pressure hoses on children, images that were broadcast globally. His tactics, intended to terrorize, instead created a crisis of conscience, compelling President John F. Kennedy to push for what became the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Connor's legacy is a stark lesson in how raw, institutionalized hatred can backfire, accelerating the very change it tried to prevent.
The Lost Generation
1883–1900
Came of age during World War I. Disillusioned by the carnage, they rejected the certainties of the Victorian era and built modernism from the wreckage — in art, literature, and politics.
Bull was born in 1897, placing them squarely in The Lost Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Bull Was Born
The biggest hits of 1897
Bull's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1897Born
President: William McKinley
1902Started school
The eruption of Mount Pelee kills 30,000 in Martinique
President: Theodore Roosevelt
1910Became a teenager
Halley's Comet makes its closest approach
President: William Howard Taft
1913Could drive
The Federal Reserve is established
President: Woodrow Wilson
1915Could vote
The Lusitania is sunk by a German U-boat
President: Woodrow Wilson
1918Turned 21
World War I ends; Spanish flu pandemic kills millions
President: Woodrow Wilson
1927Turned 30
Lindbergh flies solo across the Atlantic; The Jazz Singer premieres
President: Calvin Coolidge"My Blue Heaven" — Gene Austin
1937Turned 40
Hindenburg disaster; Golden Gate Bridge opens
Gas: $0.20/galPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"A-Tisket, A-Tasket" — Ella FitzgeraldBest Picture: The Life of Emile Zola
1947Turned 50
India gains independence; the Dead Sea Scrolls found
Gas: $0.23/galHome: $6,600Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Near You" — Francis CraigBest Picture: Gentleman's Agreement
1957Turned 60
Sputnik launches the Space Age
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $10,550Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"All Shook Up" — Elvis PresleyBest Picture: The Bridge on the River Kwai
1967Turned 70
Summer of Love in San Francisco; first Super Bowl
Gas: $0.33/galHome: $14,250Min wage: $1.40/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"To Sir, with Love" — LuluBest Picture: In the Heat of the Night
1973Died at 76
US withdraws from Vietnam; Roe v. Wade decided
Gas: $0.39/galHome: $22,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" — Tony Orlando & DawnBest Picture: The Sting
Key Achievements
- Served as Birmingham's Commissioner of Public Safety for 22 years, controlling its police and fire departments.
- His orchestration of police and firefighter violence against peaceful protesters in 1963 became a pivotal moment for the Civil Rights Movement.
- His actions in Birmingham directly influenced President Kennedy's decision to propose sweeping civil rights legislation.
Did You Know?
He was a radio broadcaster and sportscaster before entering politics full-time.
He lost his race for Mayor of Birmingham in 1962, but remained as Commissioner of Public Safety due to a city commission structure.
After the city government changed, he was elected to the Alabama Public Service Commission, where he served until his death.
“I ain't got no damn dogs. I got fire hoses, and I'm gonna use them.”
