Harrison Howell Dodge

Harrison Howell Dodge (March 31, 1852 - May 20, 1937) was the third resident superintendent of George Washington's estate at Mount Vernon. During his 52 years overseeing the estate, he doubled the facility's acreage, improved the grounds, and added many historic artifacts to the collections there.

Early and family life Dodge was born on March 31, 1852, in Washington, D.C. Being underage during the American Civil War, he assisted on his uncle's farm in Maryland during the conflict. Dodge graduated from Columbian College, which was later renamed George Washington University.

Banking and clerical careers

After graduating from college, Dodge worked in the Wall Street banking house of Jay Cooke & company, until that firm collapsed during the Panic of 1873. He returned to Washington, D.C., where he spent 1874 indexing the Congressional Record. He worked from 1874 to 1877 with commissioners of a sinking fund before accepting a position at Riggs & Co. (1877-1885).

Superintendent In 1885, the regents of The Mount Vernon Ladies' Association (MVLA) appointed Dodge as the successor of John McHenry Hollingsworth, who had succeeded MVLA founder Ann Pamela Cunningham in 1872. The nationwide depression in 1882-1883 caused tourism to drop. The non-resident Hollingsworth's means of addressing the revenue drop alienated first the staff (which also had to deal with vandalism and natural deterioration of the wet historic site) and then the MVLA regents. However, his departure proved messier than Cunningham's exit. Dodge also succeeded Hollingsworth as postmaster for the Mount Vernon post office. United States President Grover Cleveland appointed Dodge to the latter position, and successive Presidents reappointed him until his death. Dodge's 1932 book Mount Vernon: Its Owner and Its Story, with an introduction by Owen Wister, told many stories about Washington and his home, including details of a mechanical roasting spit that Washington had designed and of finding a pocketknife that had belonged to Washington in his youth. The knife was said to have played a role at Valley Forge in convincing the general to continue as leader of the Continental Army in one of its darkest days. George Washington University recognized Harrison Howell Dodge in 1931 with an honorary LL.D. degree.

Death and legacy Graves of Dodge and his wife, in the cemetery of Pohick Church.Dodge died at age 85 on May 20, 1937, at Garfield Hospital in Washington, D.C. He was survived by his wife, the former Elizabeth Knowlton, and two of his four daughters. He is buried in the cemetery of Pohick Church, at which he served for many years as vestryman.