Joseph J. Douglas, Jr. was born June 9, 1928 in Topeka, Kansas to Joseph J. and Imogene (Taylor) Douglas. A life-long Topeka resident, he graduated from Topeka public schools and attended Washburn University. He married Nathalia Jean Washington on January 29, 1950, with whom he had a daughter, Shelley Jolana Douglas Wilder. A career firefighter, Douglas joined the Topeka Fire Department in 1950, serving as Chief from 1983 to 1989. In addition to firefighting, Douglas was active in civic, educational, and church affairs. He served on the boards of the Topeka Boys' Club and the Boy Scouts of America, chaired the United Methodist Church Kansas East Conference on Religion and Race, and was a leader in the United Methodist Youth Fellowship Institute. After heading a Community Advisory Committee on Education during the 1970s busing controversy, in which schools were requested to integrate by busing students from one district to another, he was elected to the board of the Topeka Unified School District #501 in 1977 and served for eight years, including two terms as president. Douglas ardently advocated African American equality, writing articles, delivering lectures, and consulting on racism, desegregation, and other minority issues. He was honored for his community service with several awards, including a Presidential citation for extraordinary service with the Boys' Club of America in 1973 and the Kansas Friends of Education award in 1986. An avid amateur photographer, Douglas took many photographs recording the history and social life of the African American community in Topeka during the 1950s and 1960s. These images depict the fire department as well as other organizations and events and the Douglas family.