The
District of Columbia Compensated Emancipation Act of 1862 established an Emancipation Commission of three members to review petitions for compensation by slaveowners in the
District of Columbia. On April 16, 1862, the same day that President
Abraham Lincoln signed the Compensated Emancipation Act, he appointed Daniel R. Goodloe,
Samuel Finley Vinton
Samuel Finley Vinton (September 25, 1792 – May 11, 1862) was a member of the United States House of Representatives from Ohio from March 4, 1823 to March 3, 1837 and again from March 4, 1843 to March 3, 1851.
Biography
Born in South Hadley, ...
, and
James G. Berret to the Commission. Berret, a former Mayor of the District of Columbia, declined the nomination due to disagreement with the law. President Lincoln appointed
Horatio King
Horatio King (June 21, 1811 – May 20, 1897) was Postmaster General of the United States under James Buchanan.
Early life
Born in Paris, Maine, he received a common school education, and at the age of 18 entered the office of the Paris ''Jef ...
in his place. Vinton and Goodloe were confirmed by the Senate on April 21, 1862. Following the death of Samuel Vinton, President Lincoln appointed John M. Brodhead to replace him.
The Commission met daily, Monday through Friday, in the
old City Hall building.
From late April through early June, 1862, the Commission accepted petitions for compensation. Each petition included the name, age, sex, and "particular description" of each enslaved person for whom the petitioner was claiming compensation. In all, 966 petitions were filed pursuant to the Compensated Emancipation Act and its supplement.
[Washington Evening Star, July 30, 1862, p. 4.]
References
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History of Washington, D.C.