From 1840 to 1846, residents of Alexandria petitioned Congress and the Virginia legislature to approve retrocession. On February 3, 1846 the Virginia General Assembly agreed to accept the retrocession of Alexandria if Congress approved. Following additional lobbying by Alexandrians, Congress passed legislation (below) on July 9, 1846 to return all the District’s territory south of the Potomac River back to the Commonwealth of Virginia, pursuant to a referendum that would be held later in the year, and President Polk signed this first piece of legislation the next day.

A referendum on retrocession was then held on September 1–2, 1846 and the residents of the City of Alexandria voted in favor of the retrocession, 734 to 116, however, the residents of Alexandria County voted against retrocession 106 to 29. Despite the objections of those living in Alexandria County, President Polk certified the referendum and issued a proclamation of transfer on September 7, 1846. However, the Virginia legislature did not immediately accept the retrocession offer. Virginia legislators were concerned that the people of Alexandria County had not been properly included in the retrocession proceedings. After months of debate, the Virginia General Assembly voted to formally accept the retrocession legislation on March 13, 1847.

In Abraham Lincoln’s first State of the Union, delivered on December 3, 1861, he suggested restoring the District of Columbia to George Washington’s original boundaries:

The present insurrection [Civil War] shows, I think, that the extension of this District across the Potomac at the time of establishing the capital here was eminently wise, and consequently that the relinquishment of that portion of it which lies within the state of Virginia was unwise and dangerous. I submit for your consideration the expediency of regarding that part of the District and the restoration of the original boundaries thereof through negotiations with the State of Virginia.

I also question the legitimacy of the retrocession because in the bill below you can see that it states that both the county AND the town of Alexandria were to pass the referendum. The county of Alexandria never voted in favor of retrocession, only the town voted for it. Imagine if the land was returned back to the District of Columbia?

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Related Legislation Entries:

• Full Text of Ballot Initiative 71
• S.1 - A Bill to Regulate the Elective Franchise in the District of Columbia - 12/04/1865
• Map of the Ratification of the 23rd Amendment to the United States Constitution
• President Andrew Johnson’s Veto Message to Congress Concerning A Bill to Regulate the Elective Franchise in the District of Columbia - January 5, 1867
• Enrolled Text of the Legalization of Marijuana for Medical Treatment Initiative Amendment Act of 2010
• Act of Cession from the State of Virginia - December 3, 1789
• Debate in the U.S. House of Representatives Concerning An Act to Retrocede the County of Alexandria, in the District of Columbia, to the State of Virginia, Friday, May 8, 1846
• My Testimony Given Before The District Council Concerning The Legalization of Marijuana for Medical Treatment Initiative Amendment Act of 2010
• Suggested Revisions to the "Legalization of Marijuana for Medical Treatment Initiative Amendment Act of 2010" by the Washington, DC Chapter of Americans For Safe Access
• Draft Text of the Legalization of Marijuana for Medical Treatment Initiative Amendment Act of 2010
• VOTE PLEA TO CONGRESS - Americanize 400,000, Urges D.C. Joint Citizens' Committee - The Washington Post, February 13, 1918
• ALEXANDRIA AND THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA - The Alexandria Gazette, June 9, 1909
• A Bill To Extend The Limits of the District of Columbia - The Alexandria Gazette, June 1, 1909
• Does Virginia Own Alexandria County? - The Washington Herald, January 18, 1910
• The Medicare Constitution - American Healthcare Reform Parodied from the UK's NHS Constitution
• An Act for establishing the Temporary and Permanent seat of the Government of the United States
• Text of H.R. 259 - An act to retrocede the county of Alexandria, in the District of Columbia, to the State of Virginia
• Text of the District of Columbia Organic Act of 1871
• Text of the District of Columbia Organic Act of 1801

Related Retrocession Entries:

• Letter from Hannis Taylor to Honorable Thomas H. Carter, United States Senator, Rendering An Opinion As To The Constitutionality of the Act of Retrocession of 1846 - January 17, 1910
• Debate in the U.S. Senate Concerning An Act to Retrocede the County of Alexandria, in the District of Columbia, to the State of Virginia - Thursday, July 2, 1846
• GAMBLERS MAY GET ALEXANDRIA FOR US - The Washington Times, October 16, 1905
• PLEA FOR RESTORATION OF ALEXANDRIA COUNTY - The Washington Times, April 13, 1902
• EARLY SECESSION DAYS - The Washington Times, August 12, 1900
• Act of Cession from the State of Virginia - December 3, 1789
• Debate in the U.S. House of Representatives Concerning An Act to Retrocede the County of Alexandria, in the District of Columbia, to the State of Virginia, Friday, May 8, 1846
• RETROCESSION OF ALEXANDRIA – A Speech by R. M. T. Hunter, of Virginia, before the U.S. House of Representatives, May 8th, 1846
• A Shower of Proclamations: Arlington Heights - The New York Times, May 9, 1861
• Phillips v. Payne, 92 US 130 – Supreme Court - October Term, 1875
• RETROCESSION OF ALEXANDRIA – The New York Times, August 17, 1873
• S280 - A Bill To Repeal an Act Entitled ''An Act to Retrocede the County of Alexandria, in the District of Columbia, to the State of Virginia" - United States Senate, April 23, 1866
• ALEXANDRIA AND THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA - The Alexandria Gazette, June 9, 1909
• STILL AFTER ALEXANDRIA - The Alexandria Gazette, June 5th, 1909
• A Bill To Extend The Limits of the District of Columbia - The Alexandria Gazette, June 1, 1909
• Anxious To Come Back - The Washington Post, July 24, 1890
• Does Virginia Own Alexandria County? - The Washington Herald, January 18, 1910
• Text of H.R. 259 - An act to retrocede the county of Alexandria, in the District of Columbia, to the State of Virginia