Daniel Douglass (1768 – 1803) was a politician and businessperson in

Alexandria, Virginia Alexandria is an independent city (United States), independent city in the northern region of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia, United States. It lies on the western bank of the Potomac River approximately south of Downto ...

Life

Douglass worked as a merchant and was a prominent lender in Alexandria. Beginning in the mid-1790s, he was appointed to the office of

Flour Flour is a powder made by grinding raw grains, roots, beans, nuts, or seeds. Flours are used to make many different foods. Cereal flour, particularly wheat flour, is the main ingredient of bread, which is a staple food for many culture ...

Inspector of the Port of Alexandria by the Fairfax County Court, a position he held for several terms. During his tenure, the Port of Alexandria was one of the most active commercial ports and flour exporters in the United States. He was referenced on multiple occasions in the letters of

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

George Washington George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of th ...

. Douglass had at least one son named John. Personal secretary to President Washington,

Tobias Lear Tobias Lear (September 19, 1762 – October 11, 1816) was the personal secretary to President of the United States, President George Washington. Lear served Washington from 1784 until the former-President's death in 1799. Lear's journal details Was ...

, referred to Douglass as possessing "punctuality and having the command of money." Douglass owned several enslaved persons during his adult life. Douglass freed at least one enslaved person through

manumission Manumission, or enfranchisement, is the act of freeing enslaved people by their enslavers. Different approaches to manumission were developed, each specific to the time and place of a particular society. Historian Verene Shepherd states that t ...

in 1800, and two additional enslaved persons were freed in 1823, twenty years after Douglass' death.

Death

Douglass died in 1803, aged 34 or 35. He was an

elder An elder is someone with a degree of seniority or authority. Elder or elders may refer to: Positions Administrative * Elder (administrative title), a position of authority Cultural * North American Indigenous elder, a person who has and tr ...

in the Presbyterian Church and is buried at the

Old Presbyterian Meeting House The Old Presbyterian Meeting House is a Christian church located at 321 South Fairfax Street in the Old Town neighborhood of Alexandria, Virginia. It is part of the National Capital Presbytery and the Synod of the Mid-Atlantic of the Presbyte ...

References

1768 births 1803 deaths 18th-century American politicians American slave owners Politicians from Alexandria, Virginia {{Virginia-politician-stub