Alexandria County retroceded to Virginia

Background. Virginia and Maryland ceded land in 1790 to create a federal district for the national capital. The District of Columbia Organic Act of 1801 formally split Alexandria from Virginia, placing it within the new Alexandria County alongside the remainder of Virginia's cession. Economic troubles and federal policy failures, including Congress's failure to recharter banks in the District, frustrated Alexandria's business community, prompting a county-wide referendum in 1840 and years of lobbying for return to Virginia.

Legislative Process. On February 2, 1846, the Virginia General Assembly suspended its rules to pass unanimously an act accepting the retrocession of Alexandria County if Congress approved. Separately, after several years of lobbying by a committee of Alexandrians, the Assembly introduced state legislation in July 1846 to accept the county back into Virginia territory if Congress agreed. On July 9, 1846, Congress agreed to hold a referendum in Alexandria County on the issue of retrocession.

Final Retrocession. Alexandria County was officially returned to Virginia on March 13, 1847, after the Virginia General Assembly passed the state's retrocession bill. The retrocession resulted from pressure from Alexandria, the county's primary commercial center, which had sought relief from federal governance. The county had been organized within the District under the Organic Act of 1801, and its return ended that arrangement for the Virginia-ceded portion.