Robert Fox

Robert Fox (1846-1933) was an African-American activist who sparked a civil rights battle in Louisville, Kentucky in October 1870 by entering a segregated streetcar. He was born in Kentucky to Albert and Margaret Fox and worked as an undertaker and a grocer. He died in 1933. Streetcar incident and lawsuit In Louisville on October 30, 1870, Fox got in a streetcar with his brother/ business partner Samuel and their employee, Horace Pearce. They paid their fares and sat down in the white section of the car, in violation of local laws prohibiting black men from riding inside the trolley cars (black women were permitted to ride at the back of the car, but black men were usually only allowed to ride on the platform with the driver or not at all). When a white passenger named John Russell complained, the driver asked the men to leave. The black passengers refused; other drivers were called to the scene, and the men were beaten and thrown off the car. In response, an angry crowd of African Americans that had gathered outside began to throw dirt clods and rocks at the streetcar, insisting that the men be allowed to ride. The Fox brothers and Pearce returned to the streetcar and again took seats in the 'white' section, this time holding rocks in their hands to protect themselves. The three men were arrested and charged with disorderly conduct. At their trial, the defendants were unable to testify because the judge forbade blacks from testifying against whites. They were found guilty and fined $5 each ($99.48 in 2021 money) Shortly after, Fox filed a charge of assault and battery against the streetcar company in federal court, claiming that separate seating policies based on race were unlawful and the driver's actions were therefore improper. A jury found the company rules to be invalid and awarded damages of $15 to Fox and his fellow riders.