The Association of the Oldest Inhabitants of the District of Columbia was founded in 1865 to foster pride in the nation's capital. Its formation came at a time when the post Civil War population was surging with government workers, returning soldiers, and refugees. The city was also plagued by lingering and divisive sectional loyalties. In an effort to restore the capital's dignity, 31 prominent Washington citizens and businessmen met in the Council Chamber of City Hall on December 7, 1865, to form the new organization. Its constitution and by-laws defined the association's purpose: "to keep alive the reminiscences of the past and the social and paternal communion of the present and the future." In addition, the constitution emphasized respect for local governmental authority and national patriotism above sectional differences. At the association's founding, a member had to be at least 50 years old and have resided in the District for 40 years. Charter members included Benjamin Ogle Tayloe, Peter Force, and John Carrol Brent.

As the District's oldest civic association, AOI has been a strong supporter of many important city improvements and preservation projects, including construction of the District Building and the installation of modern city street lighting. In 1909, the District Commissioners, in recognition of the association's support for the city, passed a resolution allowing AOI to create a permanent meeting place in the old Union Engine Company building at 19th and H streets, N.W. There AOI shared the building with the Veteran Volunteer Firemen's Association, which had been granted use of the building in 1891 and had established a museum of fire fighting equipment and memorabilia. AOI met for the first time at the Union Engine Company on July 11, 1911 and continued to meet there until 1956, when the building was demolished for the construction of the International Monetary Fund headquarters. At that time, part of the valuable fire equipment collection was donated to the Smithsonian Institution and part to the Columbia Historical Society (now Historical Society of Washington), where the association subsequently held meetings.

The organization has had many strong leaders, perhaps the most prominent being Theodore Noyes, owner and publisher of the Evening Star, who became president in 1908 and served for 35 years. To support civic improvement, AOI embraced the efforts of the Chamber of Commerce (later merged with the Board of Trade to form the Metropolitan Board of Trade) and became an early member of the Federation of Citizens Associations, founded in 1910. Over the years, preserving historic sites has been a major commitment of the organization, including the erection and maintenance of statues and memorials. Currently the association is working to restore the statue of territorial governor Alexander Shepherd, whose controversial tenure was responsible for dramatic civic improvements, to its former position of prominence in front of the newly renovated District Building.

Membership requirements for the association have changed with the times, and a major reorganization took place in the early 1990s. Since it began encouraging younger individuals particularly women and African Americans to join, the association has seen a resurgence in membership. (A parallel African-American organization, known as the Oldest Inhabitants Inc., was founded in 1912, but is no longer active.)

Currently, AOI members must be at least 40 years old and must have lived, worked, or operated a business in the District of Columbia for at least 20 years. The archives of the Association of Oldest Inhabitants, now preserved at the Historical Society of Washington, D.C.(HSW), span the entire 135-year history of the organization. Meeting minutes, correspondence, and newspaper clippings document the local civic issues in which the association has been actively involved. The Chronicler's reports, 1912-1933, are a rich source of information on local events of the period. Copies of speeches made at meetings cover a variety of topics of local history interest, including government, neighborhoods, businesses, and personal reminiscences. Biographies, obituaries, membership records, and individual and group portraits are valuable for biographical and family history research. In addition, the collection contains a variety of materials documenting the Veteran Volunteer Firemen's Association, including membership and dues records, correspondence, committee minutes, newspaper clippings, and photographs.

Complementing the association's extensive archives are other Historical Society collections, including the papers of some of its active early members: Charles Glover, Theodore Noyes, Christian Heurich, John Clagett Proctor, and Jesse Suter. Many of the historic objects, photographs, and early manuscripts in the Society's collections were donated by members of AOI or were collected by the association for preservation. The Historical Society also holds archival materials of the Society of the Native Sons and Daughters of the District of Columbia, which was organized in 1920 by Jesse Suter, civic affairs writer for the Evening Star, and other AOI members to campaign for District suffrage and Congressional representation.  That group disappeared in the early 1950s.

Library research aids for the Association of Oldest Inhabitants Records and related collections are available in the Gibson reading room of Kiplinger Library at the Historical Society of Washington.

by Gail Redmann, Former Vice-president & Library Director, Kiplinger Library, Historical Society of Washington, D.C.

Recent AOI Presidents (dates are approximate):

1999 - Present: William N. Brown

1997 - 1999: Philip W. Ogilvie

1995 - 1997: A.L. Wheeler

1991 - 1995: Harold Gray

1981 - 1991: William Waters

Between 1974-1981 William Press

1974 Donald Bittinger

1968 Burton Langhenry

Bef. 1968 Clifford Newell

1959 Francis J. Kane