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Background
James Wormley’s remarkable life as a prominent 19^th century entrepreneur in the nation’s capital began on January 16, 1819 in a small, two-room, brick building located on E Street near 14^th in Washington, DC. Wormley was born free. His parents had come from southern Virginia in 1814. From his first job with the family’s hackney carriage business (started by his father, Peter Leigh Wormley), young James leaned skills and virtues of hard work which enabled him to rise to fame and leadership at Washington’s center stage during the Reconstruction era. Wormley’s travels and adventures – from gold mining in California, to the Court of St. James (London) to haute cuisine kitchens in Paris – propelled him to an intersection with destiny in 1877, immortalizing his name in U.S. history with the Wormley Agreement.

The Wormley Hotel
In 1871, following successful ownership of a restaurant, Wormley purchased a hotel at the southwest corner of 15^th and H Streets NW, hear the White House (with help from U.S. Representative Samuel J. Hooper (R-MA)). The Wormley Hotel quickly became a favorite for Washington’s rich and famous, attracted by "well-managed rooms," renowned cuisine (turtle soup and seafood hauled in daily from the Chesapeake Bay) and amenities such as the first hotel elevator (later first hotel telephone) in the city. Wormley had learned his finely tuned service skills through stints as a steward (Metropolitan Club) and caterer.

During the drawn-out, disputed Election of 1876, Wormley’s Hotel became the venue for the secret meetings between emissaries from the Hayes and Tilden camps which culminated on February 26, 1877 in the Wormley Agreement which settled the stalemate in favor of Hayes.

The so-called "bargain" comprised a series of political trades, the most important of which led to the withdrawal of federal troops from three contested states (Florida, South Carolina, Louisiana) and a tilt by southern Democrats for Rutherford B. Hayes (R) in exchange for "control of their states affairs," signaling the end of the Reconstruction era.

Beyond Cynicism to Role Model
Wormley continued to operate his hotel after it was written into history. He also expanded his activities, purchasing other properties, registering patents and inspiring his community by example. Wormley’s friendship with politicians and city business leaders, including U.S. Senator Charles Sumner (R-MA), made him an effective activist for black public education.

The first taxpayer-formed Negro school in the District of Columbia resulted from a resolution Wormley authored with help from congressional friends. Wormley died in Boston on October 18, 1884 after an operation for kidney stones at Massachusetts General Hospital.

At this juncture of American history, with diversity and family virtues under pressure, James Wormley’s decency, honesty and humanitarianism inspire. As a family man whose four children became college-educated and nurtured larger families of extremely productive citizens, Wormley’s role as a strong father and model for fundamental values against a backdrop of adversity cannot be overstated. His lion-like character shines like a beacon from one of our nation’s bleakest periods of cynical betrayal. Wormley’s enlightened entrepreneurship and activist citizenship serves as a reminder that hard work and character can build a strong foundation for generations.

Recent Developments
The newly established JWRP successfully conducted a series of memorial events honoring Wormley on February 26, 2001 (anniversary of Wormley Agreement) at the American Bar Association (ABA) and the Charles Sumner School and Museum, and the Old Ebbitt Grill (once owned by Charles E. Gibbs, who later purchased the Wormley Hotel in 1893).

WORMLEY REMEMBERED - Freida Wormley reads lobby poster in the American Bar Association building with ABA's Robert Evans (right) and Nick Hollis (left) of ABC.