Bishop William B. Derrick was born in Antigua in 1843 and lived the life of a sailor in his early manhood. He joined the US Navy during the Civil War and settled in Norfolk, Virginia, following the end of his service. He was licensed to preach in 1864 and rose up through the ranks to become a Bishop in 1896. Derrick was active in Republican Party politics and during his visit to Portsmouth he encouraged black voters to support Theodore Roosevelt for President, whom he described as "the chief friend of the colored race." Following his denial of service at Wurster Brothers Drug Store, Derrick told the members of the Ohio Conference of the AME: "Born in a foreign land I have traveled all over Europe and met the greatest and best of the Old World’s people and was always treated with the greatest civility, my race cutting no figure. It remained to Portsmouth to deny me the privilege of drinking a glass of soda water on account of my color. I was surprised to learn so unpleasantly that the narrow spirit of caste could have a lodgment in the great state of Ohio. But then this is Portsmouth. Again I say I am surprised, and again I will remark -- this is Portsmouth."