Cuno Hugo Rudolph (1860-1932) was a

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

politician who served as the 10th and 14th president of the Board of Commissioners of the District of Columbia, from 1910 to 1913 and again from 1921 to 1926. He was the only person to hold this office for two, non-consecutive periods.

Early life

Rudolph, the son of Jacob and Elizabeth Yerger Rudolph, was born in

Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the List of United States ...

in 1860 where he attended private schools and business colleges. He moved to

in 1899 and become engaged in the hardware business, and served as the president of the hardware firm Rudolph and West until 1906. Rudolph married Amy Edna Merz (1868-1951) on June 8, 1901, and the couple had no children. Rudolph expanded his business into bricks and banking and became active in politics as a Republican.

Career

In 1901, as chairman of the Associated Charities' Public Playground Committee, he opened the first public playground in the District of Columbia, and he remained active in playgrounds in the District for years. He served on inaugural committees and led the George Washington Bicentennial efforts in DC until poor health forced him to resign. He was on the board of trustees at

Howard University Howard University is a private, historically black, federally chartered research university in Washington, D.C., United States. It is classified among "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity" and accredited by the Mid ...

, served as chairman of the Board of the Children's Hospital and organized the first Mother's Day celebration in DC in 1911. He was a vice president of the Washington D.C. Board of Trade, and was the director of the Washington D.C., Chamber of Commerce. He was first appointed to the District of Columbia Board of Commissioners in 1910 by President

Howard Taft William Howard Taft (September 15, 1857March 8, 1930) served as the 27th president of the United States from 1909 to 1913 and the tenth chief justice of the United States from 1921 to 1930. He is the only person to have held both offices. ...

and quickly elected the Board's president, a role he filled until he resigned in March 1913 when President

Woodrow Wilson Thomas Woodrow Wilson (December 28, 1856February 3, 1924) was the 28th president of the United States, serving from 1913 to 1921. He was the only History of the Democratic Party (United States), Democrat to serve as president during the Prog ...

was inaugurated. He then back to banking, service as vice-president of the Second National Bank of Washington until President Harding again appointed him to the Board of Commissioners, and again elected its president. He was reappointed by President Coolidge and continued to serve until 1926 when he resigned again due to poor health.

Death and honors

Rudolph died in 1932, at his home in the Dresden Apartments on Connecticut Avenue. After a service in DC, he was buried at

Lorraine Park Cemetery Lorraine Park Cemetery is a cemetery located in Baltimore, Maryland. It rests on about of land. Formerly known as Lorraine Farm, the exact date of its founding is not entirely known - however, it may have been founded as early as 1872. Founded by ...

in Baltimore. The Cuno H. Rudolph Elementary School building, now home to Washington Latin Public Charter School, was named in his honor in 1940.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rudolph, Cuno Henry 1860 births 1932 deaths Politicians from Baltimore 20th-century mayors of Washington, D.C. Members of the Board of Commissioners for the District of Columbia Politicians from Washington, D.C.