William Benning Webb (September 17, 1825 March 13, 1896) was an American politician and attorney who was the Police Superintendent of

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, and president of the board of commissioners for the District of Columbia, U.S., from 1886 to 1889. He was the first President of the Board of Commissioners to be born in Washington.

Biography

Webb was born in the City of Washington, DC on September 17, 1825. He was only 19 years old when he graduated from Columbia College (now

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

, and was admitted to the District of Columbia bar Three years later. Upon admission he entered practice, in which he remained until 1861. That year, the capital's Metropolitan Police Department was organized, and Webb was appointed its first superintendent by Mayor

Richard Wallach Richard Wallach (April 3, 1816 – March 4, 1881) was an American politician who served as the nineteenth and first Republican Mayor of Washington, D.C. History Wallach was born in Alexandria, Virginia in 1816, when it was still part of the Di ...

. It was under Webb's administration that the police force conducted the investigation into the assassination of

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation thro ...

in 1865. That same year, Webb resigned from the Police Department and returned to his Washington law practice, where he commanded an extremely high reputation among his colleagues. ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...

'' said of Webb that "his digest of municipal laws, as affecting the national capital, is regarded as the standard authority." In 1885, upon the vacancy of

Joseph Rodman West Joseph Rodman West (September 19, 1822 – October 31, 1898) was a United States senator from Louisiana, a Union general in the United States Army during and after the American Civil War and the chief executive of the District of Columbia. As a ...

from his seat on the D.C. Board of Commissioners,

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 ...

Grover Cleveland Stephen Grover Cleveland (March 18, 1837June 24, 1908) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 22nd and 24th president of the United States from 1885 to 1889 and from 1893 to 1897. Cleveland is the only president in American ...

surprised the city establishment by offering the appointment to the popular and respected Webb, who accepted and joined the commission for its sixth session in July, 1885. When board president James Barker Edmonds declined reappointment on April 1, 1886, Cleveland raised Webb to the position. Webb died at his home in Washington on March 13, 1896, at the age of 70. He was buried at Oak Hill Cemetery. In 1901, The William Benning Webb School, named in his honor, opened at 15th and Rosedale, NE. It was an all-white school, but by 1947 it had become unused and at late that year became an annex to all-black Browne Junior High School. It was shut down some time shortly thereafter and has been used for school storage ever since.

References

1825 births 1896 deaths 19th-century American politicians Burials at Oak Hill Cemetery (Washington, D.C.) Mayors of Washington, D.C. Members of the Board of Commissioners for the District of Columbia {{WashingtonDC-politician-stub