Ella Brown, Connecticut’s’ first Black policewoman (1918-1984)

Ella G. Brown was the first black woman in Connecticut to serve as a police officer, joining the Hartford Police Department in 1943. After 26 years of service, she retired in 1970. She co-founded the World Travel Service, which later became the Sage Allen Travel Center. She also participated in numerous civic organizations. She passed away in 1984, remembered as a pillar of the Hartford community and a role model for women police officers. Here, she’s pictured at center left at work at the travel agency. Courtesy of the Connecticut Museum of Culture and History