New York City Fire Department To Rename Prestigious Medal Over Racist Namesake

The medal will now be named after Peter J. Ganci, Jr., the highest-ranking FDNY official killed in the September 11 terrorist attacks.

FDNY Commissioner Daniel A. Nigro said in a statement that the name was changed because Bennett’s pro-slavery views “have no place in any society, and I believe we must cease including this individual’s name, and therefore his legacy, in our annual celebration.”

Bennet founded the New York Herald in 1835, which published racist and pro-slavery views in its coverage of the Civil War, and later endowed the award in 1865 after firefighters fought a blaze at his home.

James Tempro was the first black firefighter to receive the award in 1969 and objected to the name after he learned of Bennett’s past: “There are so many others more deserving, people of high moral character that should be offered this honor,” he told the New York Daily News in a 2017 interview.