From the Nacotchtank to Washingtonians, the city of Washington, D.C. has gone through monumental changes. This politically influential city has not always been a powerhouse due to the numerous depletions of money, the lack of roads and the absence of a stable government. However, with the help of previous mayors, the capital did not move to St. Louis and remained in D.C. Although Bowen, Shepherd and Barry helped mold Washington, D.C. into what it is today, all three left different legacies according to how they contributed to the establishment of the capital city.

Sayles J. Bowen was the 20th mayor of Washington City, District of Columbia from 1868 to 1870. His term fell within the time frame when mayors were popularly elected (1820 - 1871). Prior to his time in office, Bowen served as the police commissioner in 1861, tax collector in 1862, and postmaster in 1863. Bowen’s contemporaries included former President Abraham Lincoln, who appointed Bowen as the police commissioner, and Martin Van Buren, a presidential candidate. In 1868, Bowen was selected as the Republican nominee for mayor, going head to head with the Democratic nominee John Given. He eventually won the election and started his term in the same year. Although this was a win to be celebrated the city of Washington was in a rut due to the aftermath of the Civil War, which lasted from 1861 to 1865. The three years after the Civil War that took a toll on D.C. caused the Federal sector to consider moving the capital to St. Louis. Furthermore, the city lacked sufficient funds from Congress, putting them in even more trouble than before.

Bowen’s campaign promised to prevent the capital from moving anywhere else, and his support of civil rights and integration helped him win. Furthermore, blacks were able to vote for mayor for the first time giving him the extra boost he needed considering he did not have the majority of the white vote. The first thing Mayor Bowen wanted to accomplish was to integrate the city’s school system. Although his plan did not go through, he ended up trying to eradicate a separate school system for colored students, putting $20,000 dollars of his own money toward the cause. This upset most of the white population of the city because they felt that all of Mayor Bowen’s attention focused on civil rights rather than other important matters. Most of Washington’s budget was spent on promoting civil rights and providing blacks with education and employment, which caused other services such as street cleaning to suffer. Consequently, Washington City’s debt increased by 33% at the end of Bowen’s time in office, giving him a bad reputation. I believe that although Mayor Bowen’s reputation was tainted by his spending, his legacy remains positive because of his abolitionist ideals, support of civil rights and advocacy for integration.

Alexander Robey Shepherd, or simply Boss Shepherd, was the governor of Washington, D.C. from 1873 to 1874. He was a Republican and voiced support for civil rights, speaking for emancipation and suffrage for blacks. This earned him acknowledgement from Frederick Douglass, who thanked him for his support. In 1870, a year before he became governor, Boss Shepherd rallied for one government that would control both Washington County and Georgetown, which were separate municipalities at the time. He began his ascent into politics at the age of 13 when he dropped out of school and worked at a plumbing company, eventually becoming the owner. He then began to buy properties and fix them up, making his output greater than his input. Shepherd became known as Boss Shepherd by the end of the Civil War due to the connections he made as well as his new lifestyle. Boss Shepherd’s contemporaries included President Ulysses Grant and Adolf Cuss. President Grant appointed Boss Shepherd as the governor of Washington, and Adolf Cuss built Victorian buildings in the city that are considered some of the most beautiful Victorian buildings in the entire country. Boss Shepherd is credited for directing the establishment of a sewage system, paved roads and sidewalks, water mains, a horse-drawn trolley system, and the planting of 60,000 trees around the city. He executed plans to modernize the city in the nine months he served as mayor, nearly digging the city out of its rut. However, Shepherd plunged the city into 13 million dollars of debt due to his underestimation of the costs of this modernization. In order to try to get rid of the debt, Shepherd raised taxes so high that people had to sell their properties in order to pay them. Additionally, it was discovered that Shepherd favored certain neighborhoods that him and his friends had interest in. Although Boss Shepherd’s governance gave D.C. a lot of the things it was lacking, he ruined his reputation with his secret preferences and lack of concern for certain neighborhoods.

Marion Barry is regarded as one of the most influential figures of Washington, D.C. Prior to becoming the second mayor of the District of Columbia, Barry served as the at-large member of the school board, a council member, and chairman of the D.C. City Council. In 1978, Marion Barry won the Democratic mayoral primary election. During his first term, Barry improved the sanitation and finances of the city and added employment opportunities for college graduates. However, there was a significant increase in unemployment and crime. During his second term, Barry aimed to fix those problems but plunged the city into a 100 million dollar deficit. Barry’s third term in office took a negative turn: his health was deteriorating due to constant cocaine and alcohol consumption, and he was the target of an FBI operation that sought to expose his use of cocaine. He was caught using cocaine and spent six months in jail. Initially, Barry was not going to seek reelection, but he ended up running again and was elected again in 1994 and landed himself a fourth term in office. Barry’s contemporaries include Jesse Jackson and fellow former mayor Adrian Fenty. Although Marion Barry contributed greatly to the capital city and has a lasting legacy here, I am disappointed by his actions and stances on certain subjects such as his vote to not recognize same-sex marriages in the District.