Douglass, Lewis, 1840-1908

found: Library of Congress Voices of the Civil War blog, viewed Apr. 4, 2013(The eldest son of noted abolitionist Frederick Douglass and his wife Anna Douglass, Lewis Henry Douglass (1840-1908) was born in New Bedford, Mass.; enlisted in the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry on Mar. 25, 1863. Discharged from the army in 1864 because of a medical disability, Douglass married Helen Amelia Loguen in 1869 and settled in the Anacostia section of Washington, D.C. Also in 1869, he became the first African American typesetter employed by the Government Printing Office; his tenure in this position proved short-lived, however, because the typesetters' union refused him membership because of his race. Following this setback, Douglass helped establish and publish The New National Era, a weekly newspaper aimed at Washington's African American community. Douglass also served as Assistant Marshall of the District of Columbia and a term on the Legislative Council of the District of Columbia)