Richard Wallach (April 3, 1816 – March 4, 1881) was an American politician who served as the nineteenth and first Republican mayor of Washington, D.C.
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History
Wallach was born in Alexandria, Virginia in 1816, when it was still part of the District of Columbia, at the home of his grandfather Colonel Charles Simms. He grew up in Washington City where his father was a successful attorney. He attended Gonzaga College High School and then Columbian College (later renamed George Washington University) and was admitted to the D.C. bar in 1836.
Political life
Wallach was an active member of the Whig Party and was elected as such to the Washington Common Council in 1846, serving for two years. In 1849 he was appointed by President Zachary Taylor as U.S. Marshal for the District of Columbia, which made him the chief marshal for the entire United States until removed by Franklin Pierce in 1853.
After election to the board of Aldermen in 1854, Wallach joined the Republican Party and ran against Anti-Know-Nothing candidate James G. Berret for mayor of Washington. He was defeated amidst widespread allegations of election fraud. He ran again in 1860, facing Berret a second time, and lost by 24 votes. This time, Wallach took to the newspapers (especially the Washington Star, of which Wallach's brother was editor), publishing detailed accounts of the election crimes of which he believed Berret guilty.