In 1876, William M. Galt, a wealthy local flour merchant, built what was only the second house located directly on Dupont Circle— the first house being that of Senator William Stewart in 1873.
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| William Galt. Author's Collection. |
William Galt was born on his father’s farm in Carroll County, Maryland in 1834. He moved to Washington at the age of 17 and started working in a dry goods house before going into the coal trade with a cousin. In 1861, he married Harriet Turner "Hattie" and the following year stablished his own flour business in an old government warehouse on the corner of 1st and Indiana Avenues, NW.
By 1876, William was wealthy enough to build his own mansion on a triangular lot on the south side of the circle between Connecticut Avenue and 19th Street. When Galt’s Gothic Revival-style house at 1328 Connecticut Avenue was complete, the
Washington Star described it as “not only one of the finest residences in the city, but one of the pleasantest homes.” In many ways, it rivaled
Stewart’s Castle across the circle.
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Galt house at 1328 Connecticut Avenue. Photo: Author's Collection.
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When they had finally settled into their magnificent new residence, they began to entertain on a large scale. But Galt and his wife only stayed in the house until 1880, when he sold it to Alexander Graham Bell’s future father-in-law,
Gardiner Greene Hubbard. The Galt’s moved to a house just south of Thomas Circle where William died in 1889.
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| View looking north along Connecticut Avenue. On the west (left) side of the avenue from left to right is the British Legation (1874), Phillips Row (1878) and the William Galt house. Beyond the Galt is Steward's Castle (1873) on the northwest side of Dupont Circle. Photo: Library of Congress |
William Galt’s cousin, Matthew William Galt, married William’s sister— also his own cousin. Matthew and his brother, also a William, were heirs to Washington’s oldest and best known jewelry store, Galt & Bro. Jewelers.
Matthew’s grandfather, James Galt, was a native of Maryland as well and had moved to Alexandria, Virginia in 1802 to open a jewelry store. In 1826, Matthew opened his first store in Washington on Pennsylvania Avenue between 9th and 10th Streets. The business survived until 2001 when it finally closed its doors after 199 years.
Matthew’s 32-year-old son Norman met Edmonia (“Edith”) Bolling while she was in Washington visiting her older sister Gertrude and her husband, Norman’s cousin Alexander Hunter Galt.
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Edith Galt Wilson. Library of Congress
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Norman and Edith married in 1896 and settled into a modest brick townhouse in the Dupont Circle neighborhood at 1404 21st Street. From there, they would move to a house at 1308 20th Street a few years later (now demolished). They had one child who died in infancy in 1903.
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Norman and Edith Galt's home at 1308 20th Street. Library of Congress.
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Norman Galt died in 1908 and Edith took over management of the family jewelry business. Seven years later, Edith met the recently widowed Woodrow Wilson and they were married in a simple ceremony in her 20th Street home. Edith was First Lady until 1921 and died in 1961 at the age of 89 at the Wilson’s S Street home.
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Copyright (c) 2020. Stephen A. Hansen. All Rights Reserved.
For a full history of Dupont Circle, see the author's book
A History of Dupont Circle: Center of High Society in the Capital. History Press: Charleston, 2014.
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