Richard Wallach

Richard Wallach

Richard Wallach (born April 3, 1816 in Alexandria , Virginia , †  March 4, 1881 in Washington, DC ) was an American politician .

Between 1861 and 1868 he was Mayor of Washington City .

Career

Richard Wallace grew up in Washington DC and graduated from Gonzaga College High School there . After a subsequent law degree at Columbian College , later George Washington University , and his admission to the bar in 1836, he began to work in his new profession. At the same time he embarked on a political career as a member of the Whig Party . Between 1846 and 1848 he was a member of the Washington City Council. In 1849 he was US Marshal for Washington DC, so he was also the superior of all federal marshals. He held this post until 1853. Then he was again a member of the city council. After the dissolution of the Whigs, he joined the Republican Party, founded in 1854 .

In the years 1858 and 1860 Wallach ran unsuccessfully against the incumbent James G. Berret for the office of mayor. Berret was the opponent of the Know-Nothing Party as a community candidate, while the Republican Wallach received the support of this party. In 1858 Berrett 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. After Berret had refused to take an ordered oath of allegiance to the Union after the outbreak of civil war in 1861 , he had to resign from the office of mayor. At that time Wallach was chairman of the city council, which appointed him to succeed Berret. After three regular re-elections he was able to exercise this office between August 26, 1861 and June 8, 1868. 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.

The face of the federal capital changed during Wallach's tenure. The city was initially dominated by civil war and, thanks to the expansion of the federal administration, developed into a metropolis. Accordingly, the infrastructure had to be adapted to the new conditions. At that time, among other things, the city's first professional fire department was established. The road system and sewer system were also expanded. During Wallach's tenure, President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated in April 1865. Politically, he did not always agree with Lincoln's policies. He was rather hostile to slave emancipation and the right to vote for former slaves. When they were allowed to vote for the first time in the mayoral elections of Washington in 1868, they helped to vote Wallach out.

After the end of his time as mayor, Richard Wallach practiced again as a lawyer. He died in Washington on March 4, 1881.

Web links

• Richard Wallach in the database of Find a Grave (English)
• The Political Graveyard

predecessor	Office	successor
James G. Berret	Mayor of Washington 1861–1868	Sayles Jenks Bowen