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Voices that Help Shaped Alexandria's Story
E.E. Downham
William Gregory
Philip Richard Fendall II
Emanuel Ethelbert “E.E.” Downham (1839–1921) was a successful whiskey distributor, civic leader, and former mayor of Alexandria. Arriving during the Civil War to sell spirits to Union troops, he later played a prominent role in city government and fundraising for the George Washington Masonic National Memorial.
Philip Richard Fendall II
William Gregory
Philip Richard Fendall II
Philip Richard Fendall II (1794–1868) was a lawyer, militia officer, and assistant secretary of the American Colonization Society. He was an advocate for resettlement efforts for formerly enslaved people and contributed to the Washington Monument project. During the Civil War, he attempted—unsuccessfully—to pay the property tax on Arlington House in hopes of preserving the Lee family estate.
William Gregory
William Gregory
William Gregory
William Gregory III (1789–1875) was a Scottish-born merchant who became a prominent figure in Alexandria’s commercial and civic life. A veteran of the Battle of the White House and longtime president of the Farmers’ Bank of Alexandria, he helped shape the city’s economic landscape in the mid-19th century.
Lewis McKenzie
John Thomas Newton
John Thomas Newton
Lewis McKenzie (1810–1895) was a pioneering merchant, railroad executive, and Unionist politician in Alexandria, whose leadership helped shape both his city and the nation. As president of the Alexandria, Loudoun & Hampshire Railroad and later a U.S. Congressman, mayor, and state delegate, he played a pivotal role in regional infrastructure, wartime governance, and the founding of West Virginia.
John Thomas Newton
John Thomas Newton
John Thomas Newton
John Thomas Newton (1794–1857) was a distinguished U.S. Navy officer who served for nearly five decades. Celebrated for his valor aboard the USS Hornet during the War of 1812, he received a Congressional Silver Medal and a ceremonial sword from the people of Alexandria in recognition of his heroism.
Dennis Ramsay
Robert Young
Robert Young
Colonel Dennis Ramsay (1756–1810), son of Alexandria’s founding mayor William Ramsay, was a Revolutionary War officer, local merchant, and civic leader. As mayor, he delivered the historic farewell to George Washington at Wise’s Tavern, addressing him as “Mr. President”—the first recorded use of that title for the chief executive. He later served as an honorary pallbearer at Washington’s funeral.
Robert Young
Robert Young
Robert Young
Robert Young (1768–1824) was a prominent Alexandria merchant, banker, and militia general who commanded the cavalry at George Washington’s funeral and fought in the War of 1812. A respected civic leader and partner of Philip Richard Fendall, he built 1315 Duke Street—a property later infamously used as a slave pen—leaving behind a legacy both notable and deeply complex.