Alexandria County, D.C.

Alexandria County, D.C.
Name	Alexandria County, D.C.
Settlement type	Former county of the District of Columbia
Subdivision type	Country
Subdivision name	United States
Subdivision type1	Federal district
Subdivision name1	District of Columbia
Established title	Organized
Established date	1801
Established title2	Retroceded
Established date2	1846
Seat type	Largest city
Seat	Alexandria
Area total sq mi	36
Population as of	1840
Population total	9,767

Alexandria County, D.C. was one of the two original counties within the District of Columbia, created from land ceded by the state of Virginia. It existed from 1801 until 1846, when it was retroceded to Virginia following a period of economic stagnation and political discontent. The area now comprises Arlington County and the independent city of Alexandria.

History

The territory was originally part of the Fairfax County grant and was included in the Organic Act of 1801, which formally organized the federal district. Residents quickly grew dissatisfied, as the Congress prohibited the construction of public buildings and the federal government provided little economic investment, unlike in Washington County across the Potomac River. This led to the influential Alexandria Canal and the critical Potomac Aqueduct Bridge facing financial difficulties. The movement for retrocession gained momentum after the United States v. Wood decision and a pivotal 1846 referendum, ultimately approved by Congress and President James K. Polk.

Geography

Alexandria County encompassed approximately 36 square miles on the west bank of the Potomac River, directly opposite Georgetown and Washington, D.C.. Its landscape included the port city of Alexandria, rolling hills, and plantations like Abingdon. Key geographic features were the Potomac River, Four Mile Run, and the shoreline later home to the Pentagon and Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. The riverfront area of Arlington is now part of the George Washington Memorial Parkway.

Government and politics

The county was governed by a levy court and later a board of commissioners, but its residents lacked voting representation in Congress, a primary source of grievance. Politically, the area was a stronghold of the Democratic Party and was represented by figures like William Henry Fitzhugh and John Janney. The retrocession campaign was championed by Alexander Hunter and supported by Henry A. Wise, culminating in the Retrocession Act of 1846.

Demographics

The 1840 U.S. Census recorded a population of 9,767, which included a significant number of enslaved persons laboring on tobacco plantations and in the port. The population was centered in the town of Alexandria, with other settlements like Potomac and Glencarlyn. Following retrocession, the area's demographics shifted, with parts like Arlington National Cemetery and Civil War forts shaping its development.

Economy

The economy was initially driven by the port of Alexandria, which engaged in the slave trade and exported tobacco and wheat. The construction of the Alexandria Canal (1843) and connections to the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal were major but ultimately unsuccessful projects intended to rival Baltimore. Economic decline relative to Washington, D.C., compounded by the Panic of 1837, fueled the retrocession movement. Later, the area's economy transformed with the establishment of Arlington National Cemetery and the Pentagon.

Notable people

Notable individuals associated with the county include George Washington, who owned land in the area at Mount Vernon, and Robert E. Lee, who lived at Arlington House. Other figures are early congressman Richard Bland Lee, retrocession advocate John C. Underwood, and Zachary Taylor, who owned a farm in the county. The Custis family, including George Washington Parke Custis, were prominent landowners.

Category:Former counties of the United States Category:History of Washington, D.C. Category:History of Virginia Category:1801 establishments in the United States Category:1846 disestablishments in the United States