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William Costin (c. 1780 - May 31, 1842) was a free African-American activist and scholar who successfully challenged District of Columbia slave codes in the Circuit Court of the District of Columbia.
A fascinating early resident of Capitol Hill, William Costin, was honored at his sudden death in 1842 by a large funeral procession and the commissioning of a remarkable lithograph portrait labeled "A tribute to worth by his friends."
Dec 9, 2019 · Born sometime in 1780, William Custis Costin was the son of Ann Dandridge, a woman of mixed Indigenous, Black, and white ancestry, and a white man belonging to “a prominent family in Virginia.” 1 Costin was allegedly both the nephew and grandson of Martha Washington.
Jun 5, 2023 · Likely the child of Martha’s son from her first marriage, William Costin used his position to advocate for D.C.’s free Black community
- Cassandra Good
Dec 22, 2020 · The Mount Vernon Slave Who Made Good: The Mystery of William Costin. David O. Stewart discusses the relationship between William Costin and the Washington bloodline.
He is probably most famous for his fight against a law that had been passed in April, 1821, that regulated the ability for African Americans to live in the District of Columbia. Over 22 paragraphs, the law enumerated what was required of every free and enslaved Black and what the penalties for non-compliance were.
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Nov 7, 2022 · William Costin, an African-American residing on Capitol Hill during the early years of Washington City, was honored at his sudden death in 1842 by a large funeral procession and the commissioning of a remarkable lithograph portrait labeled “A tribute to worth by his Friends.”
