Samuel Datcher After NYCC

After Datcher left the college he spent time in the town of Niagara, NY before eventually returning to Washington D.C. When he returned he was employed as a messenger and laborer at the U.S. War Department in 1862. During his time there his main duties were washing towels, cleaning rooms, and carrying messages for important members of the department. On the payroll, it shows him working lots of extra hours, which was most likely to compensate for the cost of rent in the D.C. community. Like his parents, he too became a key figure in representing the black community in Washington D.C. He was a part of the Lincoln Monument Association where he held a place on the board of directors and proposed that the Lincoln monument be crafted and placed in Washington D.C. In his community he held the position of secretary of the Washington Alerts Baseball Club in 1867, a team in which Frederick Douglass’ son played on. Later in life he married Victoria Cook. Datcher passed away in the year 1880.