James G. Berret

James Gabriel Berret (born February 12, 1815 in Carroll County , Maryland , †  April 15, 1901 in Washington, DC ) was an American politician . Between 1858 and 1861 he was Mayor of Washington City.

Career

James Berret grew up in Maryland, where he worked in agriculture and began a political career as a member of the Democratic Party . Between 1837 and 1839 he was a member of the Maryland General Assembly . He then worked for the US Treasury Department until 1853 . In 1853, President Franklin Pierce named him postman for Washington. He held this office until 1858. He served on the inauguration commissions of Presidents James Buchanan and Abraham Lincoln .

In 1858 Berret was elected mayor of the federal capital Washington as a joint candidate for opponents of the Know-Nothing Party . His opponent was Richard Wallach , who belonged to the Republican Party . In 1858 Berret won the election by 680 votes. When he was re-elected in 1860, again against Wallach, he was only 24 votes ahead. Wallach accused him of electoral fraud and manipulation in both elections. With nothing to be proven, Berret took office as Mayor of Washington on June 14, 1858. It is also worth noting that until 1871 the mayor of Washington did not administer the entire District of Columbia . The then independent city of Georgetown provided its own mayor until 1871.

When civil war broke out in 1861 , Berret got himself into trouble. He refused the oath required by the federal government of all holders of public office to take part in the Union on the grounds that he had already taken such an oath when he was inaugurated. He was then arrested and detained on the instructions of Secretary of State William H. Seward . After three weeks he was released as no hostile activities against the Union could be proven. But he had to declare his resignation as mayor of the federal capital, which he did immediately. The city council had already chosen Berret's former opponent Richard Wallach as his successor. He took office on August 26, 1861. Later, although a Democrat, he became a personal friend of President Lincoln. In July 1868 he took part as a delegate to the Democratic National Convention in New York . In 1893, when President Grover Cleveland was inaugurated a second time, he was once again on the organizing committee for that event. James Berret died on April 15, 1901 in Washington and was buried in the convention cemetery there.

Web links

• James G. Berret in the database of Find a Grave (English)
• The Political Graveyard
• Berret's death report

predecessor	Office	successor
William B. Magruder	Mayor of Washington 1858–1861	Richard Wallach