There are plenty of folks who think that a signature says a lot about a person. I’m not totally convinced; my own signature developed the way it did mostly because my last name is just too long to write out in some form of dramatic cursive. (It’s basically M and a scribble, followed by A and a scribble.)

Regardless, in months of randomly scouring through mayoral orders, I came to know and recognize the signatures of each of the District’s chief executives, spare Walter Washington’s, whose orders aren’t online. And whether or not you think their signatures say anything about the type of mayor they were — Anthony Williams started as a CFO, and his mark is deliberate and detailed; Adrian Fenty’s seems more rushed, and he governed in a hurry — it’s at least fun to see how each of the District’s leaders since Home Rule signed their name.

UPDATE, 2 p.m.: And now we have Walter E. Washington, thanks to an anonymous tipster. The man may be a legend, but let’s call a spade a spade — that signature is pretty damn near illegible.