Local and Lurid: Read All About It

When it comes to Sickles's early life, things are a bit fuzzy. He often gave his birth year as 1825, although historians believe it was 1819. And his daughter's birth date was similarly vague, leading some to believe Sickles's 16-year-old wife was carrying a little more at her wedding than a bouquet. The senator already was a scandal magnet -- he was censured by the New York State Assembly for bringing a prostitute into its chambers -- when, in 1859, he learned that his wife was having an affair with Philip Barton Key, the son of Francis Scott Key and the U.S. attorney for the District. Seeing Key in Lafayette Square, Sickles shot him several times at point-blank range. Key died, and in a high-profile trial, Sickles became the first American to use the temporary-insanity defense.

Postscript: Sickles was found not guilty, reconciled with his wife and went on to fight for the Union at Gettysburg, where he disobeyed orders and nearly botched the battle. He donated his amputated leg to the Army Medical Museum (now the National Museum of Health and Medicine), where it is still on display.

Rose O'Neal Greenhow (1817-1864)

---

Master spy

After growing up in the District, Rose Greenhow traveled in Washington's privileged circles, a fact that allowed her to become an effective spy for the Confederacy during the Civil War. Among other feats, Greenhow is credited -- or discredited, depending on whose side you're on -- with passing a secret message to Gen. Pierre G.T. Beauregard that helped him win the First Battle of Bull Run in 1861. After home confinement and a stint at the Old Capitol Prison, she finally was sent packing to the South, where she was welcomed with open arms.

Postscript: Greenhow published her memoirs and toured Europe, rubbing elbows with the elite and stoking support for the Confederates wherever she could. Upon her return to the United States in 1864, she drowned when a small boat she was in capsized after being pursued by a Union gunship.

Antonia Ford Willard (1838-1871)

---

Spy who switched sides for love

Fairfax resident Antonia Ford took her secessionist views seriously, passing information on Union troops to Confederate generals in the hopes of helping their cause. Ford was captured when counterspy Frankie Abel won her confidence and confirmed her covert work. Ford was arrested in March 1863, later released and then rearrested.

Postscript: Despite her criminal record, Ford managed to catch the eye of the Union officer who arrested her. He was Joseph Willard of the Willard hotel family. He proposed; she accepted and swore an oath of allegiance to the North. The two were married in 1864 and had three children.

Alexander Robey 'Boss' Shepherd (1835-1902)

---

Made the city pretty, but at what cost?

Like many a notorious Washingtonian, Shepherd left a legacy that's still debated today. One of the most powerful city leaders of his time, Shepherd was head of the Board of Public Works from 1871 to 1873 before being appointed governor of the District. His efforts to pull the city out of the mud and muck through much-needed infrastructure projects earned him the moniker "Father of Modern Washington." On the downside, some say his tendency to award contracts to friends and make unilateral decisions, plus the sky-high costs of his upgrades, helped bankrupt the government and lead Congress to take over, a state of affairs that lasted until 1973. (Others, including local historian Nelson Rimensnyder, say Shepherd was the victim of an economic downturn beyond his control.)

Postscript: Shepherd has a neighborhood named after him -- Shepherd Park in Northwest Washington -- and a much-traveled statue (as statues go). It stood outside the District Building (now the John A. Wilson Building at 1350 Pennsylvania Ave. NW) until the 1970s, when it was put into storage. It reappeared in an obscure location in Southwest and then, as his reputation was burnished, finally was restored to its original site in 2005.

Alice Roosevelt Longworth (1884-1980)

---

Wild child in the White House, social commentator with a acid tongue