Frederick Douglass

Frederick Douglass

Already a renowned anti-slavery activist, Frederick Douglass campaigned for Abraham Lincoln in 1860 and became one of his key advisors.  Years later, as a token of their friendship, Mary Lincoln presented him with her husband’s walking stick.

Douglass served in a total of six Republican administrations.  President Ulysses Grant appointed Douglass to the Santo Domingo Commission, and President Hayes appointed him Marshall of the District of Columbia.  During the Garfield and Arthur administrations, Douglass served as Recorder of Deeds of the District of Columbia.  He served as an envoy to Haiti during the Benjamin Harrison administration.  Many prominent Republicans, including Members of Congress and Justices of the Supreme Court, attended his funeral in 1895.