Henry Brown Floyd MacFarland (February 11, 1861 – October 14, 1921) was an American politician who served as a member and president of the D.C. Board of Commissioners.

Early life

Born in

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

, on February 11, 1861, Henry MacFarland moved to

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

in 1867 with his parents Mr and Mrs. Joseph MacFarland. He studied at Rittenhouse Academy and later at Columbian College, now the

George Washington University , mottoeng = "God is Our Trust" , established = , type = Private federally chartered research university , academic_affiliations = , endowment = $2.8 billion (2022) , preside ...

. He studied the law, but was too young to take the bar, so he instead became a newspaper reporter. He entered the Washington Bureau of the

Boston Herald The ''Boston Herald'' is an American daily newspaper whose primary market is Boston, Massachusetts, and its surrounding area. It was founded in 1846 and is one of the oldest daily newspapers in the United States. It has been awarded eight Pulit ...

in 1879 and became chief of that office in 1892. In 1888 he was married to Mary Lyon Douglass.

Political career

In 1900, President William McKinley appointed him District Commissioner and one week later he was elected President, which was the chief executive office – the equivalent of Mayor – at the time. He was the youngest person ever appointed to the Commission. As President of the Commission, he organized the annual Fourth of July celebration, arranged for the remains of Major Pierre L'Enfant to move from an unmarked grave to

Arlington National Cemetery Arlington National Cemetery is one of two national cemeteries run by the United States Army. Nearly 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres (259 ha) in Arlington, Virginia. There are about 30 funerals conducted on weekdays and 7 held on Sa ...

and secured positions at the military academies for District residents. During that time he also served on many commissions including the Rock Creek Board of Control, and committees to preserve Francis Scott Key's home and move the date of the inauguration. He resigned from office on November 13, 1909 to pursue a career in the law so as to make more money. He served as president of the National Parks Association, and as a member of the Washington Board of Trade and the Chamber of Commerce. He also became very active in the citizens joint committee for national representation.

Death and legacy

MacFarland died in October 1921 after a six-month illness. DC employees were given the day off and flags were flown at half mast for 10 days. MacFarland Middle School in Washington, D.C. was named in his honor.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:MacFarland, Henry Brown Floyd 1861 births 1921 deaths Mayors of Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., Republicans 19th-century American lawyers