Samuel W. Dett

In 1907, Samuel Dett “made history in Niagara Falls [New York] by becoming the first Black postal worker in the city. This was no easy feat! He applied to the postal service because he wanted job security. Since there were no black mail carriers, he had to get enough people to sign a petition in his favor. The plan worked and he was hired at an annual salary of $400. In 1912, Samuel was promoted to special clerk in which he worked with the public to resolve their complaints. He earned $1,100 a year. “People respected his service and perceived him as a pleasant, accommodating worker.” He retired in 1949.

Samuel, who never married, lived in the tourist house that his mother owned near the Falls. Charlotte Dett was an entrepreneur, community leader, and activist who fought for racial equality and women’s suffrage at local and national levels. After she and her husband Robert separated around 1900, she established the tourist house to provide for her two sons. Samuel took over the business after her death in 1937.

The Dett family moved to Niagara Falls, NY in 1893 from Niagara Falls, Ontario—known then as Drummondville. It was a town founded by formerly enslaved people who had escaped to Canada via the Underground Railroad. Samuel’s grandmother, Harriet Washington, possibly made the same journey. Samuel was 14 when his family moved to America. His brother Nathaniel was 11. From a young age, Nathaniel was a gifted piano player. He could play music by ear while his brothers, Samuel and Arthur, could only play it by reading sheet music. Nathaniel Dett would become “an internationally known choral director, composer, concert pianist, and poet.” 

In 1889, “Arthur [Dett] and his friends played some pranks on […] area merchants, jokingly tampering with some of their property.” It was Halloween night. “One merchant, who saw his fence being taken down by a group of children, rushed into his house, got his shotgun, and fired it at Arthur.” He died later in the hospital. While it’s unknown why the Dett family emigrated to America, Arthur’s death may have been a reason. Charlotte and Robert had also lost another child, Harriet, when she was only two years old.

Like his mother, Samuel Dett was actively involved in civic affairs that directly impacted the African American community. He held leadership positions at the YMCA and was inducted into their Hall of Fame. At the Niagara Community Center, he served as president, sat on the board of directors, and was a member of several committees. “During World War I, [Samuel] was appointed an American Red Cross special lieutenant to help Black servicemen passing through Niagara Falls. Upon retirement [his] only wish was that his position be filled by another African American.”



Samuel Dett died in 1962. He is buried in Fairview Cemetery in Niagara Falls, Ontario with his mother and brothers.

Hope L. Russell, Ph.D.