LeRoy Martin
Martin, c. 1981
56th Superintendent of the Chicago Police Department
In office November 18, 1987[1] – January 29, 1992[1]
Appointed by	Harold Washington
Preceded by	Fred Rice Jr.
Succeeded by	Matt Rodriguez
Personal details
Born	1929 (1929)[1] Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Died	August 31, 2013(2013-08-31) (aged 83–84) Dyer, Indiana, U.S.
Political party	Republican
Spouse	Constance B. Martin ​ (m. 1954)​ [2][3]
Children	3
Alma mater	Roosevelt University
Occupation	Police officer superintendent
Police career
Department	Chicago Police Department
Service years	1955−1992
Rank	Superintendent (sworn in November 1987)

LeRoy Martin (1929^[1] − August 31, 2013) was an American police officer for the Chicago Police Department.^[4] In November 1987, Martin became the third African-American and second permanent to serve as superintendent of the department, following the retirement of Fred Rice Jr. (who is noted as the Chicago first permanent African-American police superintendent, Samuel Nolan was the Chicago's first African-American police superintendent who served as interim in 1979).

Biography

Early life and education

Martin was born the fourth of five children in 1929^[1] in Chicago, Illinois.^[2] His parents migrated to Chicago from Grenada, Mississippi in the early-1920s.^[2] Martin's father was a pullman porter. Martin was raised in the North Lawndale neighborhood on the city's west side, attending Richard T. Crane Technical High School.^[2] Martin later earned a master's degree in Public Administration and a bachelor's degree from Roosevelt University.^[5]

Career

In the 1950s, Martin worked as a bus driver for the Chicago Transit Authority.^[5] Martin joined the Chicago Police Department in 1955 as a patrolman in the Woodlawn and Burnside neighborhoods on the city's south side.^[5] Martin was appointed superintendent of the Chicago Police Department by mayor Harold Washington on November 18, 1987. Martin served as superintendent until January 1992.^[5] After his term as superintendent, Martin served as the Director of Public Safety for the Chicago Housing Authority from 1992 until 1994.^[5] Thereafter, Martin worked in the private sector security director for Central Management Services.^[5] In 1998, Martin ran as a Republican, challenging Michael F. Sheahan to be the Sheriff of Cook County, Illinois.^[5] Martin was unsuccessful.

Personal life and death

Martin was married to Constance B. Martin^[2][3] at the time of his death, having been married since 1954. Together, they had three children, Ron, LeRoy Jr.,^[3] and Dawn.^[5] Martin died of a heart attack on August 31, 2013, aged 84, in Dyer, Indiana.^[6] A funeral service was held for Martin on September 6, 2013, gathering hundreds.^[7]

Electoral history