Victor R Daly

Daly is the author of the novel Not Only War: A Story of Two Great Conflicts (1932), about African American soldiers in WWI and the racism they experienced while serving and after. It is believed to be the only WWI novel written by an African American veteran.

Victor Reginald Daly was born in New York City and educated in public schools. He was a member of the Class of 1919 at Cornell University.

In 1917, he joined the U.S. Army and trained at Fort Des Moines, along with 639 other African-American men. He was appointed 1st Lieutenant in the 367th Infantry Regiment, and was decorated with the Croix de Guerre for his service in France. In 1919, he married Adelaide Helen Cook (Cornell University Class of 1918). They had two daughters, Millicent and Peggy. He worked for the Urban League in New York after his discharge from the Army. He came to Washington, DC in the 1920s to serve as business manager of The Journal of Negro History. He also wrote short fiction that was published in The Crisis, and essays on civil rights issues such as equal access to housing and transportation, and integrating ranks of DC government. In 1932, he published a novel, Not Only War: A Story of Two Great Conflicts.

In 1934, he became an interviewer for the U.S. Employment Service in D.C. When he retired in 1966, he was Deputy Director in charge of the Manpower Development Program, which had begun in 1962 under his leadership. Over the years he worked tirelessly to persuade downtown retail stores to hire African-Americans in sales and clerical positions. He was instrumental in the 1950s in helping the Capitol Transit Co. and the union to agree to hire African-American bus drivers and street car operators. In 1956, he received the Distinguished Service Award, the highest honor conferred by the U.S. Dept. of Labor for his efforts in eliminating discrimination in hiring practices.

Source: Cornell University