Joseph Louis Searles III (January 2, 1942 – July 26, 2021) was the first black floor member and floor broker in the New York Stock Exchange.[1]
Searles was born in Asheville, North Carolina. He graduated and played football at Kansas State University, then played professionally for the New York Giants.[2] He subsequently became an aide to New York mayor John Lindsay.[2] He was a member of the Stock Exchange Luncheon Club and the New York Young Republican Club.[3][4] He worked as a floor partner in the firm of Neuberger, Loeb and Company. In February 1970, he became the first black member of the NYSE. He later earned a law degree from Georgetown University.[5]