Howard Leslie Quigg (1887 – 26 September 1980) was an American policeman who was twice the chief of police in Miami, Florida, in the periods 1921-1928 and 1937–1944.[1]

Quigg was a member of the Ku Klux Klan.[2]

In 1928, he and some of his officers were accused of the murder of a Black man in their custody.[3] Quigg was indicted in 1928 after three Miami police officers beat Harry Kier, a Black bellboy, to death for allegedly insulting a white woman at the hotel where he worked.[4][5] Although he was taken into custody in late March,[6] the criminal charges were dismissed by May because the witness did not testify.[7]

He was succeeded as police chief by Guy C. Reeve in 1928, and by Charles O. Nelson in 1944.[1]

Quigg died of a stroke in 1980, at the age of 92.[8]

References

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  1. ^ a b Torres, Christian De La Rosa, Andrea (2020-09-17). "Mayor says next chief will have 'big shoes to fill'". WPLG. Retrieved 2021-04-23.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  2. ^ Connolly, N. D. B. (2016-03-25). A World More Concrete: Real Estate and the Remaking of Jim Crow South Florida. University of Chicago Press. ISBN 978-0-226-37842-8.
  3. ^ "SAY MIAMI POLICE SHOT MAN TO DEATH; Witnesses Accuse Chief and His Officers of Murder of a Negro Prisoner. TELL OF ORDERS TO WHIP Chief Reported to Have Suggested Removal of Body of False Tale of Explanation". The New York Times. 1928-03-27. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-04-23.
  4. ^ "Miami Chief Accused in a Police Lynching; Detectives Testify He Ordered Body Hidden When Negro Was Shot Down by Another". The New York Times. March 3, 1928. Retrieved June 5, 2020.
  5. ^ Smith, Fred (August 16, 2019). "The 1980 Miami Riots were the Blueprint for LA's in '92". A Crack in the Room Tone. Retrieved June 5, 2020.
  6. ^ "Miami Police Chief With Six of His Subordinates Land in County Jail on Charges of Wholesale Murder". Santa Cruz News. AP. March 24, 1928. Retrieved June 5, 2020.
  7. ^ "Charges Dismissed". San Bernardino Sun. May 18, 1928. Retrieved June 5, 2020.
  8. ^ "H. Leslie Quigg services tomorrow". The Miami News. 1980-09-29. p. 4. Retrieved 2021-04-23.