Jazzy D.C. Quarter to Feature Ellington

The D.C. commemorative quarter will feature jazz great Duke Ellington, who grew up in the city, District officials said yesterday.

Ellington was the top choice in a vote by residents last summer that drew more than 6,000 responses. Mayor Adrian M. Fenty (D) sent the results to the Treasury, which makes the final decision on the designs of the quarters, representing the 50 states, the District and U.S. territories.

Mafara Hobson, Fenty's spokeswoman, said D.C. officials had been informed that the Treasury approved the city's selection.

"Yes, it's the Ellington design," she said. The coin is expected to be released Jan. 26.

The Treasury rejected the District's first batch of proposed designs, which featured slogans referring to the city's lack of a voting representative in Congress. The U.S. Mint said they would violate the coin program's rules against controversial messages.

A spokesman for the Mint could not be reached last night for comment. The blog DCist, which first reported the Ellington selection, said that Mint spokesman Greg Hernandez declined to confirm the news but that other people in his office said it was correct.

About 30 billion quarters have been issued in the program, which was established in 1998 and expanded last year to include the District.

Fenty said in his letter to the Treasury last summer that the Ellington design would "educate the public about the incredible diversity of residents who call the nation's capital home." It shows the musician at the piano and includes the District's motto, "Justice for All."