Daniel Rapine (June 11, 1768 – July 28 or July 29, 1826) was an American politician who served as the second

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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 ...

, elected by the city council in June 1812 and serving for one year.

History

Rapine was a bookseller, printer and politician. He move to Washington from his birthplace of

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in 1800 to open a bookstore in the new capital. He and his partner John Conrad opened the Washington Printing and Bookselling Company across the street from the Capitol. His bookstore became the intellectual center of early Washington. He married Charlotte Gillette, and had 3 daughters.

Mayor of Washington D.C.

He served on the City Council from 1802 to 1806 and then again in 1812. At that time

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restructured city ordinances to create a council of

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for the city, which in turn elected the mayor. Both Rapine and the incumbent (appointed) mayor,

Robert Brent Robert Brent (1764 – September 7, 1819) was the first mayor of City of Washington, federal capital of the United States of America. Brent was born into a prominent Catholic family, members of which emigrated to the Maryland colony in the ...

, sought the office from the council, who voted to a tie between the two candidates; the matter was settled by a coin toss, which gave the office to Rapine.

Career

At that time, the mayor was an employee of the

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, with power to levy only very small taxes on the citizens of Washington City. Rapine raised money in two significant acts: by addressing the Congress and asking for appropriations for the city — especially after the

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was declared, when he received federal money to fund the city's defenses — and by creating a city

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, whose proceeds went to the creation of two schools and a public

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.Belva Lockwood And The 'Way Of The World'

Societies

During the 1820s, Rapine was a member of the prestigious society,

Columbian Institute for the Promotion of Arts and Sciences The Columbian Institute for the Promotion of Arts and Sciences (1816–1838) was a literary and science institution in Washington, D.C., founded by Dr. Edward Cutbush (1772–1843), a naval surgeon. Thomas Law had earlier suggested of such a s ...

, which counted among their members former presidents

Andrew Jackson Andrew Jackson (March 15, 1767 – June 8, 1845) was the seventh president of the United States from 1829 to 1837. Before Presidency of Andrew Jackson, his presidency, he rose to fame as a general in the U.S. Army and served in both houses ...

and

John Quincy Adams John Quincy Adams (; July 11, 1767 – February 23, 1848) was the sixth president of the United States, serving from 1825 to 1829. He previously served as the eighth United States secretary of state from 1817 to 1825. During his long diploma ...

and many prominent men of the day, including well-known representatives of the military, government service, medical and other professions.

Later in life

Rapine returned to the bookselling business after his term as mayor, although he was also appointed a justice of the peace for Washington County by

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: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

James Madison James Madison (June 28, 1836) was an American statesman, diplomat, and Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father who served as the fourth president of the United States from 1809 to 1817. Madison was popularly acclaimed as the ...

. He served as Postmaster of the

House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entities. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often ...

in the 1820s, until his death in July 1826.

Death

Daniel Rapine died on May 11, 1826, after a long illness and was buried in an unmarked grave in

Congressional Cemetery The Congressional Cemetery, officially Washington Parish Burial Ground, is a historic and active cemetery located at 1801 E Street in Washington, D.C., in the Hill East neighborhood on the west bank of the Anacostia River. It is the only American ...

. He was the only of the early mayors to not have a school named for him.

References

*https://books.google.com/books?id=IEJCyIWg_IYC&pg=PA247 1768 births 1826 deaths 19th-century mayors of Washington, D.C. Burials at the Congressional Cemetery {{WashingtonDC-politician-stub