- Publisher
- Writer
- American
- Black
Bertram A. Fitzgerald Jr. was a Harlem-born accountant who became one of the most important pioneers in Black comic book publishing history. Born on November 6, 1932, to Bertram Fitzgerald Sr. (originally from Jamaica, who had lived in Cuba before coming to the United States) and Hattie E. Sessoms (born in Virginia), Fitzgerald grew up in Harlem reading Classics Illustrated comics but was frustrated to see African American history either stereotyped or absent from their pages. After serving in the U.S. Air Force and graduating from Brooklyn College in 1956 with a degree in accounting, he eventually worked for the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance. In the mid-1960s, with no background in writing or publishing, he decided to create comic books that would inspire and educate African Americans — particularly young people who had never seen themselves represented accurately in print. The result was Golden Legacy Illustrated History Magazine, launched in 1966, which became one of the most significant educational comics series in American history — distributing approximately nine million copies of 16 volumes across schools, libraries, churches, and civil rights organizations. Shut out of mainstream distribution channels, Fitzgerald used his accounting skills to broker a landmark deal with Coca-Cola and subsequently with AT&T, Avon, McDonald's, Columbia Pictures, Exxon, and other major corporations to fund printing and distribution. He wrote seven of the sixteen Golden Legacy volumes himself. Later he published Fast Willie Jackson (1976–1977), an integrated teen humor comic with newsstand distribution, before a devastating fraud in 1983 — in which a con artist convinced his printer that he had purchased the rights to Golden Legacy — derailed his publishing career. Fitzgerald fought back through the courts, won, suffered two heart attacks during the battle, and never collected the damages he was awarded. He later worked for the New York City Mayor's Office. In 2005 he received the Glyph Comics Pioneer Lifetime Achievement Award at ECBACC. Bertram A. Fitzgerald Jr. passed away on January 10, 2017 in New York City. His Golden Legacy series remains in print and his legacy as a trailblazer for Black educational comics publishing endures.
Golden Legacy Illustrated History Magazine Vol. 1–16 (Fitzgerald Publishing Co., 1966–1976, publisher and writer of 7 volumes); Fast Willie Jackson #1–7 (Fitzgerald Publishing Co., 1976–1977, publisher and writer); Drugs... Where It's At (1970, public service publication, writer)
November 6, 1932: Born in Harlem, New York City; 1956: Graduated from Brooklyn College with a degree in accounting; 1966: Founded Fitzgerald Publishing Company and launched Golden Legacy Vol. 1 (The Saga of Toussaint L'Ouverture, illustrated by Leo Carty) — one of the first Black-owned comic book publishers in America; 1967: Brokered landmark Coca-Cola sponsorship deal to fund printing and distribution; 1966–1976: Published 16 volumes of Golden Legacy — approximately 9 million copies distributed; 1970: Published Drugs... Where It's At anti-drug public service comic; 1976–1977: Published Fast Willie Jackson — 7 issues with mainstream newsstand distribution; 1983: Fraud by con artist caused loss of original plates and five-year legal battle; 1988: Won copyright case and recovered negatives; 2005: Received Glyph Comics Pioneer Lifetime Achievement Award at ECBACC; January 10, 2017: Passed away in New York City
2005 Pioneer Lifetime Achievement Award (ECBACC)
Glyph Comics Pioneer Lifetime Achievement Award (ECBACC, 2005); Golden Legacy — approximately 9 million copies distributed to schools, libraries, and civil rights organizations including the NAACP and Urban League; Corporate sponsors included Coca-Cola, AT&T, Avon, McDonald's, Exxon, and Columbia Pictures
CBLDF — 'Profiles in Black Cartooning: Bertram A. Fitzgerald and Golden Legacy' (February 2016); Black Enterprise — profile (1989); Museum of UnCut Funk — Bertram Fitzgerald profile; Tom Christopher — detailed biography
