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Henry Addison (mayor)

Henry Addison
Portrait of Addison
by Harold L. Macdonald (1921)
Mayor of Georgetown
In office
March 4, 1861 – March 4, 1867
Preceded byRichard R. Crawford
Succeeded byCharles D. Welch
In office
March 9, 1859 – January 21, 1861
Preceded byRichard R. Crawford
Succeeded byRichard R. Crawford
In office
March 3, 1845 – March 2, 1857
Preceded byJohn Cox
Succeeded byRichard R. Crawford
Personal details
Born(1798-01-24)January 24, 1798
Maryland, U.S.
DiedJanuary 3, 1870(1870-01-03) (aged 71)
Washington, D.C., U.S.
Resting placeOak Hill Cemetery
Washington, D.C., U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Children6
Occupation
  • Politician
  • merchant

Henry Addison (January 24, 1798 – January 3, 1870) was mayor of Georgetown from 1845 to 1857, 1859 to January 1861 and from 1861 to 1867.

Early life

Henry Addison was born on January 24, 1798.[1] He was from Maryland and came to Georgetown, Washington, D.C. at a young age.[2]

Career

Addison was a hardware merchant. He owned a dry goods business on the corner of Bridge and High Streets in Washington, D.C.[2][3]

Addison served as Mayor of Georgetown from March 3, 1845, to March 2, 1857, and from March 4, 1861, to March 4, 1867. However, he served an additional incomplete term. The results of the election on February 28, 1859, were debated. The judges of the election found Richard R. Crawford had won, but the council after counting the votes found Addison had won. Addison was sworn in on March 9, 1959, and served until January 21, 1861. Crawford won the case R. R. Crawford vs. Henry Addison and served out the remainder of the two year term, from January 21, 1861, to March 3, 1861.[3][4]

In May and June 1853, legislation passed in Maryland and Georgetown to make a Metropolitan Railroad connecting the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad near Point of Rocks, Maryland, to Georgetown. In June 1856, Addison vetoed a second installment of payments for the railroad, which effectively cancelled the project.[5] During his time as mayor, Addison called for a discussion on retrocession, but opinion was divided.[6]

Harper's Weekly cartoon of ballot box for 1867 mayoral election

In 1867, Addison ran for mayor against Charles D. Welch, a Republican candidate. A Harper's Weekly cartoon by Thomas Nast depicted the Democratic ticket as the "White Man's ticket".[7]

Personal life

Addison married and had six children.[2]

Addison died on January 3, 1870, at his home on the corner of Dunbarton and Montgomery Street. He was buried at Oak Hill Cemetery in Washington, D.C.[1][2][8]

Legacy

Hyde-Addison Elementary School in Washington, D.C., was named after Addison and Anthony T. Hyde. In 2020, the DC Facilities and Commemorative Expressions Working Group committee recommended that both Addison and Hyde should have their names removed from the building. A news article noted that Addison was an enslaver, according to U.S. Census records.[9][10]

References

  1. ^ a b "Oak Hill Cemetery, Georgetown, D.C. (Cocoran) - Lot 18" (PDF). Oak Hill Cemetery. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 8, 2022. Retrieved August 20, 2022.
  2. ^ a b c d "Death of Ex-Mayor Addison". Wilmington Journal. January 14, 1870. p. 4. Retrieved August 20, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.Open access icon
  3. ^ a b Records of the Columbia Historical Society, Washington, D.C. Vol. 24. Columbia Historical Society. 1922. pp. 101–102. Retrieved August 20, 2022.
  4. ^ Miller, Samuel Freeman (1875). Reports of Decisions in the Supreme Court of the United States. Vol. 3. pp. 281–284. Retrieved August 20, 2022.
  5. ^ Jackson, Richard Plummer (1878). The Chronicles of Georgetown, D.C., from 1751-1878. pp. 108–110. Retrieved August 20, 2022.
  6. ^ Richards, Mark David (2004). "The Debates over the Retrocession of the District of Columbia, 1801–2004" (PDF). dchistory.org. Archived (PDF) from the original on August 20, 2022. Retrieved August 20, 2022.
  7. ^ "Black Voting Rights: The Creation of the 15th Amendment, District of the Columbia and the Federal Territories: Passage". harpweek.com. Archived from the original on February 23, 2022. Retrieved August 20, 2022.
  8. ^ "Obsequies of Ex-Mayor Addison". National Republican. January 7, 1870. p. 4. Retrieved August 20, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.Open access icon
  9. ^ Weil, Julie Zauzmer (September 8, 2020). "A guide to every person whose name could be removed from D.C. buildings or sites, from the famous to the forgotten". The Washington Post. Retrieved August 20, 2022.
  10. ^ "DCFACES Working Group Report" (PDF). mayor.dc.gov. Archived (PDF) from the original on June 6, 2022. Retrieved August 20, 2022.

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