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Lyght, John (1927–2010)

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Photograph of John Lyght, 1984

John Lyght in his office, 1984. From the John Lyght Papers, Minnesota Historical Society Photograph Collection.

John Lyght, Minnesota’s first African American sheriff, faced different challenges than his constituents as one of the only African Americans in Cook County. A reputation for fairness, however, won him multiple re-elections with wide support between 1972 and 1994.

In 1913, growing tired of giving his whole paycheck to a West Pennsylvania coal mine’s company store, John’s father, Hosey, moved with his wife, Stella, and their children to one of the few remaining Homestead Act properties in Minnesota. The site of their future home included 160 forested acres and a small hunting shack, just inland from the town of Lutsen, on Lake Superior.

Many in Lutsen related to the situation Hosey and Stella faced as young “homesteaders” unused to the isolation and harsh winters of Northern Minnesota. Nevertheless, the family faced intolerance; many in the county had never seen an African American person before. While hunting without a license was common, John’s older brother Norman later recalled that his father seemed to be the only one ever arrested for it. When some of his neighbors threatened to torch his new house, Hosey told them that he would be waiting at home, armed, if they tried. They never did.

In 1925, Hosey used savings from working on road construction crews and in lumber camps to open a fishing resort aptly named “Northern Lights.” The business was successful, and the Lyghts met many African American families from Duluth and the Twin Cities coming for the North’s only African-American-owned resort. Through their success, the Lyghts became a respected family in the county. Hosey became a member of the Cook County school board only a few years after fighting for his children to be allowed to ride the same school bus as white children.

John spent his childhood years working at Northern Lights, serving as a fishing guide, and cleaning the cabins. When the Great Depression pushed vacations out of reach for most, extra money was needed to help the family of fifteen survive. John worked odd jobs in Duluth when he was only twelve; his older brothers and father found work through New Deal public works agencies.

When his father died in 1944, John left high school to help support his family, as the resort business had folded. He spent a year in the Air Force and then joined his brothers to start Lyght Brothers, a trucking company. John regretted not finishing high school and furthered his education through correspondence courses.

John eventually left Lyght Brothers to become the caretaker of a private resort, spending the “off seasons” driving school buses, hauling lumber, and even selling lift tickets and serving as a bouncer for dances at the Lutsen Resort. It was through this last gig that Lyght chanced upon a career in law enforcement. The Cook County Sheriff’s Department did not have the resources to deal with the dances and hired Lyght as a part-time deputy in 1968. When the sheriff retired in 1972, John was chosen out of six candidates to replace him.

Lyght later noted that the main challenges he faced as sheriff stemmed from the isolation of his county’s permanent residents. Like his parents, many of the county’s families had chosen to live in Cook County because it offered more freedom than heavily populated areas; they were used to resolving disputes without law enforcement. This frontier mentality was exacerbated by a lack of funding; John had only one deputy to help him oversee almost 1,500 square miles for his first term.

In spite of limited resources, John quickly made his mark on the county through his reputation for being firm yet fair in his work and genuinely concerned for the well-being of his constituents. Steve Elam, a retired police officer in Silver Bay, recalled an occasion when John picked up someone his office had arrested from Cook County: “The kid told John that he was going to plead guilty because…John didn't arrest people who weren't guilty.”

While Lyght secured re-election after re-election through strong relationships with the people of Cook County, he always thought his department could improve. Starting in the early 1980s, he advocated for an increased budget with the county board to bring on more officers and a dispatcher.

Lyght finally retired after losing a re-election in 1994. He died in 2010.

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"Black Sheriff Popular with White Residents." Los Angeles Times, August 10, 1980. John R. Lyght papers. Manuscripts Collection, Minnesota Historical Society, St. Paul.

"Black Sheriff in White County Does Just Fine." Tacoma News Tribune, July 13, 1980. John R. Lyght papers. Manuscripts Collection, Minnesota Historical Society, St. Paul.

"Body Unidentified." Cook County Herald, July 16, 1990.

"Cook County Sheriff's Dept. Makes Largest Drug Bust in Northern Minn." Cook County Herald, February 11, 1987. John R. Lyght papers. Manuscripts Collection, Minnesota Historical Society, St. Paul.

"County Sheriff Honored." Untitled and undated paper, 1984. John R. Lyght papers. Manuscripts Collection, Minnesota Historical Society, St. Paul.

Lyght, John. Interview transcript, March 13, 1992. Minnesota Resort Industry Oral History Project, 1991–2000. Oral History Collection, Minnesota Historical Society, St. Paul.
http://collections.mnhs.org/cms/display.php?irn=10261435

Lyght, Norman. Interview transcript, June 25, 1974. Minnesota Black History Project, 1970–1975. Oral History Collection, Minnesota Historical Society, St. Paul.
http://collections.mnhs.org/cms/display.php?irn=10445835

"Northeastern Minnesotans Always Dream of Fish Cakes." Minneapolis Star, April 19, 1972. Lyght family papers, 1927–1974. Minnesota Black History Project materials, undated and 1902–1983.
http://www2.mnhs.org/library/findaids/00629.xml

"Rainbow Wrap-Up." Cook County Herald, July 16, 1990.

"Sheriff's 'Fair shake' Wins Votes." St. Paul Sunday Pioneer Press, [undated], 1984. John R. Lyght papers. Manuscripts Collection, Minnesota Historical Society, St. Paul.

"State's First Black Sheriff Is an 'Insider.'" Minneapolis Tribune, August 27, 1972. Lyght family papers, 1927–1974. Minnesota Black History Project materials, undated and 1902–1983. Manuscripts Collection, Minnesota Historical Society, St. Paul.
http://www2.mnhs.org/library/findaids/00629.xml

Web

“Remembering John Lyght: 1927–2010.” Duluth News Tribune, January 20, 2010.
http://www.duluthnewstribune.com/news/2293305-remembering-john-lyght-1927-2010

Related Images

Photograph of John Lyght, 1984
Photograph of John Lyght, 1984
Photograph of Hosey Lyght, 1930
Photograph of Hosey Lyght, 1930
Photograph of Stella Lyght at Northern Lights Resort, 1930
Photograph of Stella Lyght at Northern Lights Resort, 1930
Photograph of John and Daniel Lyght
Photograph of John and Daniel Lyght
Photograph of John, Daniel, and Jessie Lyght in school
Photograph of John, Daniel, and Jessie Lyght in school
Photograph of John Lyght in Air Force Uniform
Photograph of John Lyght in Air Force Uniform
Wedding photograph of John and Anne Lyght(middle)
Wedding photograph of John and Anne Lyght(middle)
Photograph of Sheriff John Lyght, 1984
Photograph of Sheriff John Lyght, 1984
Photograph of Lyght and deputies with escaped lion
Photograph of Lyght and deputies with escaped lion
Photograph of John Lyght presenting a scholarship check
Photograph of John Lyght presenting a scholarship check
Photograph of John Lyght assisting with AAA teen safety program
Photograph of John Lyght assisting with AAA teen safety program
Photograph of John Lyght receiving an award
Photograph of John Lyght receiving an award

Turning Point

After the sheriff of Cook County retires in 1972, John Lyght is chosen out of six candidates for the opening.

Chronology

1925

Using money saved from work in lumber camps and county road construction, Hosey Lyght buys forty acres on Caribou Lake, where he and his older sons build the only African-American-owned resort in Northern Minnesota, aptly named Northern Lights.

1939

Twelve-year-old John Lyght finds work in Duluth to help support his family, staying with one of the few other African American families in the area. In the “off-season,” his father and brothers join New Deal programs building roads and clearing brush.

1942

Wartime gas rations force Hosey to close Northern Lights as Twin Cities tourists stay closer to home. John and his brothers find work at logging camps in the winter and with the War Relocation Authority and Civilian Conservation Corps in the summer.

1945

Following his father’s death in 1944, John drops out of school to help support his family. He serves a one-year stint in the Air Force. He regrets having to drop out and begins taking correspondence courses.

1946

Using money saved up from the military and public works programs, John and his brothers start a trucking company, Lyght Brothers, hauling lumber, steel frames, and freight. John sees much of America as a trucker but decides to stay in Northern Minnesota.

1950

John leaves Lyght Brothers and becomes the guide and caretaker for a corporate retreat and resort owned by a beer-bottling company. In the off-seasons, he drives school buses, builds roads, and works at the Lutsen Ski Hills.

1968

The understaffed Cook County Sheriff’s Department deputizes Lyght so he can better handle drunk and disorderly patrons as a bouncer for dances at Lutsen Resort.

1972

When the sitting sheriff retires, Lyght is chosen out of six candidates to replace him.

1978

Lyght is re-elected, receiving nine times as many votes as his opponent.

1982

Lyght is reelected sheriff with three times as many votes as his closest opponent. It is the smallest margin of victory of his career to date.

1984

Lyght is the first person to receive the Law Enforcement Officer of The Year Award from the Minnesota Black Public Safety Employees Association. His story appears in the Los Angeles Times and the Chicago Sun-Tribune.

1987

Lyght’s department makes one of the biggest drug busts to date in northern Minnesota, seizing hashish with a value of more than $700,000. Lyght considered drug abuse one of his county’s worst problems and was a member of the Arrowhead Drug Task Force.

1990

The countercultural group Rainbow Family brings more than 10,000 people to Cook County for a week-long festival. Lyght encounters few problems aside from minor drug infractions but finds a camper who had died of natural causes after the festival.

1994

Lyght retires. He holds nine separate certifications and is a member of a committee that awards educational scholarships to police officers in training.

2010

Lyght passes away at the age of eighty-nine.