William Benning Webb
Encyclopedia
William Benning Webb was an attorney, Police Superintendent of Washington, D.C.
, and president of the board of commissioners for the District of Columbia, USA, from 1886 to 1889.
Webb was born in 1825, in Washington. He was only 19 years old when he graduated from Columbia College (now George Washington University
, and was admitted to the District of Columbia bar Three years later. Upon admission he entered practice, in which he remained until 1861.http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?_r=1&res=9802E7D91039E533A25753C2A9619C94649FD7CF&oref=slogin That year, the capital's Metropolitan Police Department was organized, and Webb was appointed its first superintendent by Mayor Richard Wallach
. It was under Webb's administration that the police force conducted the investigation into the assassination of Abraham Lincoln
in 1865. That same year, Webb resigned from the Police Department and returned to his Washington law practice, where he commanded an extremely high reputation among his colleagues. The Washington Post said of Webb that "his digest of municipal laws, as affecting the national capital, is regarded as the standard authority."http://www.webbdeiss.org/webb/webb_boys_w.html
In 1885, upon the vacancy of Joseph Rodman West from his seat on the D.C. Board of Commissioners, President
Grover Cleveland
surprised the city establishment by offering the appointment to the popular and respected Webb, who accepted and joined the commission for its sixth session in July, 1885. When board president James Barker Edmonds
declined reappointment on April 1, 1886, Cleveland raised Webb to the position.
Edmonds died at his home in Washington on March 15, 1896, at the age of 71.
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....
, and president of the board of commissioners for the District of Columbia, USA, from 1886 to 1889.
Webb was born in 1825, in Washington. He was only 19 years old when he graduated from Columbia College (now George Washington University
George Washington University
The George Washington University is a private, coeducational comprehensive university located in Washington, D.C. in the United States...
, and was admitted to the District of Columbia bar Three years later. Upon admission he entered practice, in which he remained until 1861.http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?_r=1&res=9802E7D91039E533A25753C2A9619C94649FD7CF&oref=slogin That year, the capital's Metropolitan Police Department was organized, and Webb was appointed its first superintendent by Mayor Richard Wallach
Richard Wallach
Richard Wallach was an American politician who served as the first Republican Mayor of Washington, D.C.-History:...
. It was under Webb's administration that the police force conducted the investigation into the assassination of Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
in 1865. That same year, Webb resigned from the Police Department and returned to his Washington law practice, where he commanded an extremely high reputation among his colleagues. The Washington Post said of Webb that "his digest of municipal laws, as affecting the national capital, is regarded as the standard authority."http://www.webbdeiss.org/webb/webb_boys_w.html
In 1885, upon the vacancy of Joseph Rodman West from his seat on the D.C. Board of Commissioners, 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....
Grover Cleveland
Grover Cleveland
Stephen Grover Cleveland was the 22nd and 24th president of the United States. Cleveland is the only president to serve two non-consecutive terms and therefore is the only individual to be counted twice in the numbering of the presidents...
surprised the city establishment by offering the appointment to the popular and respected Webb, who accepted and joined the commission for its sixth session in July, 1885. When board president James Barker Edmonds
James Barker Edmonds
James Barker Edmonds was president of the board of commissioners for the District of Columbia, USA, from 1883 to 1886....
declined reappointment on April 1, 1886, Cleveland raised Webb to the position.
Edmonds died at his home in Washington on March 15, 1896, at the age of 71.