The Resume

(November 9, 1892-October 16, 1960)
Born in Manhattan, New York
Postal employee
Compiled 'The Negro Traveler's Green Book' to list and review restaurants, hotels, gas stations, and other services that did business with African Americans
First published in 1936
Sold 15,000 copies annually at its peak
Published after his death by his widow
Last published in 1966

Why he might be annoying:

The Green Book and similar guides accommodated Jim Crow laws without challenging discrimination.
In the late 1950s, the US State Department considered distributing the Green Book to ambassadors from newly independent African countries, but instead decided to work to get black diplomats treated the same as white ones.
After the Civil Rights Act of 1965 banned discrimination in public accommodations, the Green Book became obsolete and quickly faded into obscurity.

Why he might not be annoying:

He was named after the French novelist.
He served overseas in a supply company during World War I.
He provided black travelers with solutions to problems their white counterparts never had to think about.
One customer wrote, 'We earnestly believe the Green Book will mean as much, if not more, to us as the AAA means to the white race.'
He wrote in the introduction of 'The Green Book,' 'There will be a day sometime in the near future when this guide will not have to be published. That is when we as a race will have equal opportunities and privileges in the United States. It will be a great day for us to suspend this publication for then we can go as we please.'

Credit: C. Fishel

Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

• C. Fishel's Profiles [Series 86]
• I Died in 1960 (Ranked: 67)
• Postal Workers
• Profiles 53751-54000 (Ranked: 53891)
• Served in World War I

Year In Review:

In 2022, Out of 9 Votes: 22.22% Annoying