Boston Daniels was born in Foreman, Arkansas in 1905. His father, a Baptist preacher and farmer, died when he was 12 years old. Daniels helped out on the family farm before attending Arkansas A & M, where he studied agriculture and tailoring.

Daniels moved to Kansas City, Kansas (KCK) in 1928 and held a variety of positions, including building Army planes during World War II. In 1945 he joined the KCK Police Department. He rose through the ranks until he was promoted to chief of police in 1970.

Daniels was particularly good at catching shoplifters, training his observational skills and memory to remember faces and names. He only fired his gun once during an incident in all his time in the police, and his progressive ideas regarding police work--focused on strong communication and supporting vulnerable citizens in order to reduce crime--were credited with deescalating racial tensions in Kansas City in the 1960s.

After retiring from the police in 1971, Daniels worked in security for Brotherhood Bank. His wife Rosemary taught cosmetology, first at Sumner High School and later at an area vocational technical school. Boston Daniels died on May 11, 1997.

[Information from findagrave.com and Kansas City, Kansas Public Library, "Kansas City, Kansas Black History - Boston Daniels."]