James H. Blake

James Heighe Blake (born June 11, 1768 in Calvert County , Province of Maryland , †  July 29, 1819 ) was an American politician . Between 1813 and 1817 he was Mayor of Washington, DC

Career

After studying medicine and being licensed as a doctor in 1789, James Blake began to work in this profession. Between 1795 and 1800 he lived in the future federal capital Washington, which was then under construction. After that he practiced until 1809 in Colchester ( Virginia ), before returning to Washington. There he was elected to the city council. His party affiliation is not recorded.

In 1813, Blake was elected mayor of the federal capital, Washington, by the city council. He held this office after three re-elections between 1813 and 1817. The mayors of Washington were appointed from 1802 to 1812 by the respective US president. From 1812 to 1820 they were elected by the city council. Only after 1820 were there regular elections for this office. It's 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.

During Blake's tenure as mayor, the British-American War fell , in the course of which the city of Washington was captured and burned by the British in 1814. Blake couldn't help that either. Later he was involved in the reconstruction of the city as mayor. He died on July 29, 1819. His son Thomas (1792–1849) became a congressman for Indiana .

Web links

• James H. Blake in the database of Find a Grave (English)
• The Political Graveyard

predecessor	Office	successor
Daniel Rapine	Mayor of Washington 1813–1817	Benjamin G. Orr