Lee Archer Jr.
*Lee Archer Jr. was born on this date in 1919. He was a Black fighter Ace in the 332nd Fighter Group.
Born in New York City, Lee Andrew Archer, Jr. grew up in Harlem and later attended New York University. After graduation, he joined the United States Army, hoping to become a pilot. At that time, the Army did not accept Black pilots, so Archer was posted to a communications job as a telegrapher and field network communications specialist in Georgia.
When the Army's policy changed, he was accepted to the training program for Black aviators as a Tuskegee Airman, graduating first in his class and one of only 994 black wartime pilots to graduate there. He was commissioned as a second lieutenant on July 28, 1943. During World War II, Archer flew 169 combat missions, including bomber escort, reconnaissance, and ground attack. Archer claimed and was credited with five enemy fighter aircraft shot down, making him an Ace. Archer was one of only four Tuskegee Airmen to have earned three aerial victories in a single day of combat: Joseph Elsberry, Clarence Lester, and Harry T. Stewart Jr.
After retiring from the military, he joined General Foods Corporation, becoming one of the first Black corporate vice presidents of a major U.S. company. While there, he also led its small-business investment subsidiary, North Street Capital Corporation, which serviced Essence Communications and Black Enterprise Magazine. In 1987, he helped establish the food conglomerate TLC Beatrice and, in the same year, founded the venture capital firm Archer Asset Management.
In October 2005, Archer and four fellow Tuskegee veterans visited Balad Air Base at Balad, Iraq, to meet with 700 service members from the 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing, the successor unit to his all-Black outfit. In April 2009, Archer was cast in the film Red Tails. Archer, aged 90, died at Cornell University Medical Center in New York City on January 27, 2010, because of coronary complications, according to his son Roy Archer.
His death occurred during post-production work on the Lucas film Red Tails, and the film's final credits subsequently bore a tribute to the pilot. Bill Cosby gave a eulogy at a memorial service for Archer. Archer was predeceased by his wife, Ina Burdell, who died in 1996, and was survived by his three sons, one daughter, and four granddaughters.
