Walter Washington
Walter Washington | |
|---|---|
| 1st Mayor of the District of Columbia | |
| In office January 2, 1975 – January 2, 1979 | |
| Preceded by | Himself (Mayor-Commissioner) |
| Succeeded by | Marion Barry |
| Mayor-Commissioner of the District of Columbia | |
| In office November 7, 1967 – January 2, 1975 | |
| President | Lyndon B. Johnson Richard Nixon Gerald Ford |
| Preceded by | Walter Nathan Tobriner (President of the Board of Commissioners) |
| Succeeded by | Himself (Mayor) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Walter Edward Washington April 15, 1915 Dawson, Georgia, U.S. |
| Died | October 27, 2003 (aged 88) Washington, D.C., U.S. |
| Resting place | Lincoln Memorial Cemetery (Suitland, Maryland) |
| Party | Democratic |
| Spouses | |
| Children | 1 |
| Education | Howard University (BA, LLB) |
| Signature | |
Walter Edward Washington (April 15, 1915 – October 27, 2003) was an American civil servant and politician. After a career in public housing, Washington was the chief executive of the District of Columbia from 1967 to 1979, serving as the first and only Mayor-Commissioner of the District of Columbia from 1967 to 1974, and as the first Mayor of the District of Columbia from 1975 to 1979.
He was the first African-American mayor of a major city in the United States, and in 1974 became the capital's first popularly elected mayor since 1871. Congress had passed a law granting home rule to the capital, while reserving some authorities. Washington won the first mayoral election in 1974, and served from 1975 until 1979.