After a career in public housing, Washington became the chief executive of the District of Columbia in 1967 and remained there until 1979. From 1967 to 1974, he served as the first and only Mayor-Commissioner and Mayor of the District, respectively.
He became the capital's first popularly elected mayor since 1871, when Congress granted home rule to the capital, but reserved some powers.
It is believed that Washington is the great-grandson of enslaved Americans. Dawson, Georgia, was his birthplace. Washington was raised in Jamestown, New York, where he attended public schools. He graduated from Howard University and Howard University School of Law with a bachelor's degree. A member of Omega Psi Phi fraternity.
He married Bennetta Bullock, an educator. They had one daughter together, Bennetta Jules-Rosette, who became a sociologist. [citation needed] His wife Bennetta Washington was a director of the Women's Job Corps and First Lady of the District of Columbia.
In 1948, Washington graduated from Howard and got a job with D.C.'s Alley Dwelling Authority. In 1961, he was appointed Executive Director of the National Capital Housing Authority by President John F. Kennedy. During the time when Congress was in charge, this was the housing department of the District of Columbia. He moved to New York City in
1966 to run the much bigger Housing Authority in Mayor Lindsay's administration.
Under Reorganization Plan No. 3 of 1967, President Lyndon Johnson reorganized the government that had run the capital since 1871 under congressional supervision. A single commissioner, assistant commissioner, and nine-member city council, all appointed by Johnson, ran the city. It was Johnson who appointed Washington Commissioner, which was now formally renamed "Mayor-Commissioner." The first African American mayor of a major American city, Washington was one of three black mayors in 1967. In that year, Richard Hatcher of Gary, Indiana and Carl Stokes of Cleveland were elected.
After the passage of major civil rights legislation, Washington inherited a city torn by racial divisions, as well as conservative congressional hostility. In late 1967, Democratic Rep. John L. McMillan, chair of the House Committee on the District of Columbia, delivered a truckload of watermelons to Washington's office.
Following King's assassination, Washington experienced riots in April 1968. Despite being urged by FBI director J. Despite being urged by FBI director J. Washington refused to shoot rioters. Afterward, he told The Washington Post in 1999, "I walked alone through the city and urged angry young people to go home. He asked them to help the burned out people. Only one person refused to listen. The actions he took helped prevent riots.
When Nixon was elected president in 1968, he kept Washington.
The Department of Justice banned an anti-Vietnam demonstration on Pennsylvania Avenue in 1971. There were concerns that violence would break out. When Washington visited the White House, he asked President Nixon to issue permits for the demonstration. 250,000 marchers took part in the demonstration.
The District of Columbia Self-Rule and Governmental Reorganization Act was enacted on December 24, 1973, so there's an elected mayor and city council. Beginning in early 1974, Washington ran a vigorous campaign for the Democratic nomination. Washington was heavily Democratic and (at the time) majority black, so it was assumed that the Democratic primary winner would become the first popularly-elected mayor since 1871.
In the Democratic primary, Washington had six opponents. As a result, the primary became a two-way race between Washington and Clifford Alexander. By 4,000 votes, Washington won the tight race. In the general election, he won with a large majority. The city's first popularly-elected government since over a century was sworn in January 2, 1975 under home rule. Washington was sworn in by Thurgood Marshall, the Supreme Court's chief justice.
Despite being beloved by residents, some nicknamed him Uncle Walter, Washington slowly found himself overwhelmed by the problems of running what was essentially a state and city government. The Washington Post said he lacked "command presence." Council chair Sterling Tucker said the city's problems were caused by Washington's inability to manage services. Another rival, Marion Barry, accused him of "bumbling and bungling in an inefficiently run city government." Washington was also constrained by the Constitution, which gave Congress ultimate power over the District. Acts passed by the council were subject to Congress' veto, and many matters were up to the council.
According to the Washington Monthly, Washington's "gentle ways" didn't move the city bureaucrat, and didn't satisfy black voters' desire to see the city run by blacks. Even though Walter Washington was black, many blacks were suspicious that he wasn't connected to the mostly white power structure that ran the city as a commissioner." He started a lot of new initiatives during his time in office, like the Office of Latino Affairs.
After Barry and Tucker, Washington finished third in the Democratic primary for mayor in 1978. On January 2, 1979, he left. Based on the Federal government's cash accounting system, he announced the city had a $41 million budget surplus. When Barry took office, he switched city finances to the more common accrual system, and he announced there was a $284 million deficit.
After leaving office, Washington became a partner at Burns, Jackson, Miller & Summit in New York. He opened the firm's Washington, D.C. location.
In the mid-1990s, Washington went into semi-retirement. In his early eighties, he fully retired at the end of the decade. For his political commentary and advice, Washington remained a beloved public figure in the District. His endorsement of Anthony A. Williams for a second term as mayor was made in 2002. Washington's endorsement carried sufficient weight to be noted by all local media outlets.
Washington passed away at Howard University Hospital on October 27, 2003. There were hundreds of mourners who attended his funeral at Washington National Cathedral
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