Mr Steele was an American who lived in Montgomery, Alabama with his wife, Lizzie.
On 30 November 1955, Lizzie dropped her glove, which Ryan Sinclair picked up. He went to give her back the glove, tapping the woman's arm. Mr Steele, who thought Ryan was trying to do something untoward to his wife, slapped him across the face, ordering he take his "filthy black hands" off his wife.
Ryan's step-grandfather Graham O'Brien along with the Thirteenth Doctor and Yasmin Khan, came to Ryan's defence. Mr Steele expressed shock when Graham said that Ryan was his grandson and guessed that the group were not from Alabama. He then told them that Ryan would have "a noose for a neckerchief" if he touched another white woman in Montgomery. Before things escalated further, a seamstress named Rosa Parks arrived and told Mr Steele that it was a misunderstanding and that his suit would be ready for him tomorrow. Following this, Mr Steele left with Lizzie. (TV: Rosa)