Luther North

Luther Savage North was born in 1833 in Middletown, Connecticut.  Sometime before 1860, he came to Washington as a 20-something bachelor.  North was a member of Washington's "wide awake" group in 1860, dedicated to motivating people to elect Abraham Lincoln president.  Finding love, he married Josephine Sickler in Washington on August 12, 1862, soon before he left to fight in the Civil War in the 86th Infantry.  In December 1863, North's messmate, Washingtonian Daniel Hain, was killed near Loudon, Tennessee.  North was left in charge of his remains, and buried Hain in a graveyard in Loudon.  In June 1864, North was wounded at a battle at Kennesaw Mountain, Georgia.

As if all of that wasn't enough hardship, wife Josephine died in December 1864 at age 22.  Even though the couple was married for over two years, almost all of that time was spent apart because of the war.

Luther North's cousin was Richard D. Smith, a very early Washington businessman who owned a dry goods store on the square's north side from 1859-1866.  North followed in his cousin's footsteps, opening the same type of store in 1869.  That same year, North married Martha Patrick, and they had two children, Josephine L. and Luther Patrick.  

In 1877, Andrew Hoelfin constructed a new building on the square, in the current location of Black, Black & Brown, and North located his store within, where it remained for many years.

In 1881, North was elected mayor over challenger William B. Yale, winning the office by a scant 15 votes, becoming Washington's third mayor and serving a two-year term.

North continued his business until the 1890s when he retired to Georgia.  He passed away August 7, 1897, and was returned to Washington and is buried in Glendale Cemetery with his wives.