John Watkinson Douglass
John Watkinson Douglass, was an American politician.
Born on October 25, 1827, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, he was the son of Joseph M. Douglass and Martha A. Watkinson Douglass.
Douglass was raised in Erie, Pennsylvania and apprenticed to a lawyer there. He was admitted to the bar in 1850. He was Collector of Internal Revenue for the 19th Pennsylvania district from 1862 to 1869 before becoming 1st Deputy Commissioner in 1869. From October 1869 to January 1871 he was Acting Commissioner of Internal Revenue; from August 9, 1871 to May 14, 1875 he was the Commissioner. His portrait was on an issue of tobacco revenue stamps in 1875. He then retired to private practice in Washington, DC.
In 1889, he became a member of the three-person Board of Commissioners that governed the city of Washington. Within this group, he was appointed chairman. In this capacity he exercised de facto the office of mayor, even if this title between 1871 and 1975 was not officially used.
He married Margaret Lyon . He died August 21, 1909 in Kent and was buried at Oak Hill Cemetery in Washington.
