Josiah Dent
Encyclopedia
Josiah Dent was the third president of the Board of Commissioners of the District of Columbia, serving from 1879 to 1882.
, in 1817. His father was an Episcopal priest who served in a Maryland
regiment during the Revolutionary War
. He became an attorney in the 1840s and set up a practice in St. Louis, Missouri
. In the following decade, a cholera
epidemic broke out in St. Louis, and Dent became a prominent relief worker and organizer. He remained in St. Louis until 1861, when the Civil War began, at which time he moved to Washington, D.C.
Dent never argued law in the D.C. courts, but had a thriving wartime practice as the custodian of absentee properties: because his strong sympathies for the Democratic Party
were well known, Washington and District residents who joined the Confederacy
would leave their property in his care to maintain and protect from government confiscation.
After the Civil War, Dent became the president of the board of directors of Linthicum Institute, an educational institution founded by a bequest of $50,000 in the will of Dent's father-in-law Edward M. Linthicum (a prominent socialite and philanthropist in Georgetown
). The institute was an alternative educational institution for young men who could not otherwise afford college. It became host over its existence to hundreds of male students, making Dent's reputation as a deeply committed educator.
Dent was, in 1874, a member of the Congressionally mandated committee that recommended the disposal of the territorial government and the formulation of a three-member board of commissioners (one Democrat, one Republican, and one nonaffiliated planning engineer) for the District of Columbia. In July 1878, President
Rutherford B. Hayes
appointed Dent as the Democratic commissioner on that board.
Dent became president of the board in the following year, after the resignation of Seth Ledyard Phelps
, serving until July 1882. During his term as board president, Dent was noted for improving the relations between the capital city and the U.S. Treasury. After his term as commissioner expired, Dent lived in Georgetown until 1889, when he married his second wife and moved to Berkeley Springs, West Virginia where he died in 1899. He is buried in Washington's Oak Hill Cemetery.
Life
Dent was born in Charles County, MarylandCharles County, Maryland
Charles County is a county in the south central portion of the U.S. state of Maryland.As of 2010, the population was 146,551. Its county seat is La Plata. This county was named for Charles Calvert , third Baron Baltimore....
, in 1817. His father was an Episcopal priest who served in a Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
regiment during the Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
. He became an attorney in the 1840s and set up a practice in St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
. In the following decade, a cholera
Cholera
Cholera is an infection of the small intestine that is caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. The main symptoms are profuse watery diarrhea and vomiting. Transmission occurs primarily by drinking or eating water or food that has been contaminated by the diarrhea of an infected person or the feces...
epidemic broke out in St. Louis, and Dent became a prominent relief worker and organizer. He remained in St. Louis until 1861, when the Civil War began, at which time he moved to Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
Dent never argued law in the D.C. courts, but had a thriving wartime practice as the custodian of absentee properties: because his strong sympathies for the Democratic Party
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
were well known, Washington and District residents who joined the Confederacy
Confederate States of America
The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...
would leave their property in his care to maintain and protect from government confiscation.
After the Civil War, Dent became the president of the board of directors of Linthicum Institute, an educational institution founded by a bequest of $50,000 in the will of Dent's father-in-law Edward M. Linthicum (a prominent socialite and philanthropist in Georgetown
Georgetown, Washington, D.C.
Georgetown is a neighborhood located in northwest Washington, D.C., situated along the Potomac River. Founded in 1751, the port of Georgetown predated the establishment of the federal district and the City of Washington by 40 years...
). The institute was an alternative educational institution for young men who could not otherwise afford college. It became host over its existence to hundreds of male students, making Dent's reputation as a deeply committed educator.
Dent was, in 1874, a member of the Congressionally mandated committee that recommended the disposal of the territorial government and the formulation of a three-member board of commissioners (one Democrat, one Republican, and one nonaffiliated planning engineer) for the District of Columbia. In July 1878, President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
Rutherford B. Hayes
Rutherford B. Hayes
Rutherford Birchard Hayes was the 19th President of the United States . As president, he oversaw the end of Reconstruction and the United States' entry into the Second Industrial Revolution...
appointed Dent as the Democratic commissioner on that board.
Dent became president of the board in the following year, after the resignation of Seth Ledyard Phelps
Seth Ledyard Phelps
Seth Ledyard Phelps was an American naval officer, politician, and diplomat. He served with distinction in the U.S. Navy during the Civil War and afterward was appointed president of the Board of Commissioners of the District of Columbia and then as U.S...
, serving until July 1882. During his term as board president, Dent was noted for improving the relations between the capital city and the U.S. Treasury. After his term as commissioner expired, Dent lived in Georgetown until 1889, when he married his second wife and moved to Berkeley Springs, West Virginia where he died in 1899. He is buried in Washington's Oak Hill Cemetery.
Sources
- Josiah Dent's Obituary - Washington Post, October 30, 1899.