Where the Streets All Have Names: Newland Street

Senator Francis G. Newlands (Harris & Ewing, photographer – Library of Congress)

Originally named Lincoln, or simply N Street, the 14th Edgewater street west of Sheridan was renamed after Francis G. Newlands when the U.S. Senators and Supreme Court Justices alphabet naming system was implemented. Although it was named after Newlands, at some point the “s” dropped, and it became Newland Street.

Newlands was born in Natchez, Mississippi in 1846 to Scottish immigrant parents. Newlands was raised primarily in Illinois and Washington, D.C. He attended Columbian College Law School (now known as George Washington University), graduated, and was admitted to the bar in 1869. Shortly thereafter, he moved to San Francisco and worked as a manager for the Palace Hotel.

In the 1880s Newlands began buying up land in northwest Washington, D.C. and Montgomery County, Maryland. Newlands would go on to develop the land, building bridges, and putting in street car rails. The community would become known as Chevy Chase. Although minorities were not explicitly prohibited from buying land in the new Chevy Chase development, covenants were put in place specifically designed to prevent minorities from buying in Chevy Chase.

Newlands entered politics in 1893, having been elected to represent Nevada in the House of Representatives as a member of the Silver Party. During his time in the House, Newlands was responsible for the annexation of Hawaii and supported a greater role for the Federal Government in conservation and irrigation of the west.

In 1903 the residents of Nevada elected Newlands to the Senate as a Democrat. While in the Senate he supported the creation of both our National Forest and National Parks systems.

Newlands was also a well-known and vocal white supremacist, often speaking publicly in favor of restricting the rights of Black Americans. Newlands was also a white nationalist, advocating for restricting immigration to the U.S. solely to white people. Because of Newlands history of blatant racism, there was a successful effort in Chevy Chase to have the Francis Griffith Newlands Memorial Fountain renamed. A similar effort is presently underway to rename Newlands Park in Reno, Nevada

Newlands died from hear failure in 1917, while still serving as a U.S. Senator.