James G. Berret

Edit links
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Col. James G. Berret
18th Mayor of the City of Washington, D.C.
In office
June 14, 1858 – August 26, 1861
Preceded byWilliam B. Magruder
Succeeded byRichard Wallach
Delegate of the Maryland House of Delegates
In office
1835–1837
Delegate of the Maryland House of Delegates
In office
1891–1892
Personal details
Born
James Gabriel Berret

February 1, 1815
Washington, DC
Resting placeCongressional Cemetery
Political partyAnti-Know-Nothing-Party, Democratic

James Gabriel Berret (February 12, 1815 – April 14, 1901) was an American politician who served as a

District of Columbia, from 1858 to 1861, when he was forced to resign from office after being jailed by the Lincoln administration for sedition. He was also President of the Electoral College in 1888.[1]

Early life

Berret was born in what was then

Maryland state legislature to represent the newly formed Carroll County. He served two one-year terms from 1837 to 1839.[3]

Career

Upon leaving the legislature he was appointed to an office in the

U.S. Treasury by President Martin Van Buren and moved to Washington, DC. He served in the Treasury until 1850, at which time he started his own business prosecuting claims before the US government.[3] That work continued until 1853 when President Franklin Pierce appointed him Postmaster of the District of Columbia.[4] He served on the inaugural committee for Presidents James Buchanan and Abraham Lincoln.[1] In the late 1840s, he was appointed by Governor Philip Francis Thomas of Maryland on his staff as Colonel. In the 1880's he was promoted to quartermaster general with the rank of brigadier general by Governor Robert Milligan McLane.[2]

In 1858, Berret was nominated as the mayoral candidate for the Anti-

U.S. Marshal for the District; both men were of equal popularity, means, and political reputation, but on election day Berret won by 680 votes in an election that was marked by rioting, requiring the Marines to deploy, and the deaths of four citizens.[3]

The election sparked a fierce rivalry between Wallach and Berret, enough so that when Berret defeated Wallach again in the 1860 contest by only 24 votes, Wallach published editorials in every Washington newspaper charging Berret with massive fraud in both elections.[1]

With the outbreak of the

Old Capitol Prison, then sent to Fort Lafayette, New York.[6] Three weeks later, when no evidence of collaboration with the enemy surfaced, Seward had Berret released and returned to Washington—on the condition that he immediately resign as mayor. Berret telegraphed his resignation to the Washington City Council, who had already elected Wallach to replace him.[1]

Berret eventually became friends with Lincoln and the President nominated him to be a commissioner of the emancipation of slaves in the District of Columbia, but the Senate refused to confirm his nomination. He had more success when Ulysses S. Grant nominated him to the board of police commissioners in 1872, where he served until 1877.[7] He was one of the most vocal opponents of the change of government in the District that occurred in 1871 and even led a lawsuit to stop it.

He moved back to Maryland and was an Elector for Maryland in 1888, and as such was named President of the Electoral College that year. He was returned to the Maryland legislature representing Carroll County in 1891, serving on the Ways and Means committee. He later served on the inaugural committee for President Grover Cleveland and as the first Vice-President of the Washington Monument Society.[8] Berret died April 14, 1901, from the flu and was buried in Congressional Cemetery in Washington, DC. His wife, Julia Wright, preceded him in death by 3 years.[2] His last residence in Washington was at 1535 I Street N.W.[4]

The Berret School in Washington, DC was named in his honor. It was closed in the 1950s, but the building was eventually converted to condos in 2000 and it is now called the Berret School Lofts.

References

  1. ^ a b c d Records of the Columbia Historical Society, Washington. Vol. 21. Washington: Columbia Historical Society. 1918. pp. 200, 209–211.
  2. ^ a b c "Colonel James G Berret". Washington Times. 15 April 1901. Retrieved 6 May 2022.
  3. ^ a b c "Mr. Berret Dying" (PDF). The Evening Star. April 13, 1901. Retrieved 2 May 2016.
  4. ^ a b "Berret, James G." Congressional Cemetery. Archived from the original on 2011-09-27. Retrieved 2011-08-09.
  5. ProQuest 533686133
    .
  6. ProQuest 533677480
    .
  7. ^ "Journal of the executive proceedings of the Senate of the United States of America, 1871-1873". Friday, December 13, 1872. Library of Congress — American Memory. Retrieved 2011-08-09. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  8. ^ Inaugural ceremonies of Grover Cleveland, president and Adlai E. Stevenson, vice-president. March 4, 1893, Internet Archives.
Political offices
Preceded by Mayor of Washington, D.C.
1858–1861 		Succeeded by
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=James_G._Berret&oldid=1189616507"