In “What’s the Worst that Could Happen,” Donald E. Westlake has an out-of-town character ask who the Whitehurst Freeway was named for, and lets the local guide answer simply, “President after Grover.” But that raises the question, who *was* the Whitehurst Freeway named for? An engineer? An officeholder? Who?

Who knew this answer would be so difficult to track down? DCist thought eh, we are good at internet research, 20 minutes. Or maybe we could ask a history buff friend. But no. three hours of research, three e-mails to D.C. transportation history buffs, and a mass appeal to all of DCist’s staff and cohorts and it finally took a Lexis Nexis search to find this thing. So, before we get down to the nitty gritty, let’s explore the lovely bits of history that Ask DCist turned up in our search for the origins of Whitehurst Freeway’s name. Just so they do not go to waste.

• Whitehurst Freeway was developed by a design and construction firm owned by African-American engineer Archibald A. Alexander. Alexander graduated from the University of Iowa in 1912 with a degree in civil engineering. After working his way up at Marsh Engineering, where he worked on D.C.’s Tidal Basin, Alexander started his own firm that specialized in bridge design. In the late 1940s, he was awarded the contract to build the Whitehurst Freeway. Later, Alexander was appointed Territorial Governor of the Virgin Islands, but died shortly thereafter. His will endowed engineering scholarships at University of Iowa, Tuskegee Institute in Alabama, and Howard University.
• The Francis Scott Key House was torn down to build the freeway.
• John Whitehurst (1713-1788), a clockmaker and engineer from Derby, England, was an active member of the Lunar Society. He is credited as the father of modern geology, and played key roles in the development of the hydraulic ram and standardized time.
• The USS Whitehurst, which launched Sept. 5, 1943, was sponsored by Mrs. Robbie Whitehurst, the mother of Ensign Henry Purefoy Whitehurst, Jr. who died in action the first year of WWII.
• Frederic Whitehurst is a high-profile FBI whistleblower who brought to light numerous FBI crime lab issues including phony scientists and questionable investigation practices.

OK, so on to the details on the origins of Whitehurst Freeway’s name. An old Washington Times article finally was able to tell us that “The Whitehurst Freeway was named after the late Herbert Whitehurst, one of the first directors of the District’s highway department, whose last project was a roadway to route commuter traffic around Georgetown.”

Now, DCist’s frequent pondering on the Freeway: What will become of it?

Burning question? Need advice? E-mail us at ask(at)dcist(dot)com.