On April 16, 1862, the same day that President Abraham Lincoln signed the Compensated Emancipation Act, he appointed Daniel R. Goodloe, Samuel Finley Vinton, and James G. Berret to the Commission.
[1] Berret, a former Mayor of the District of Columbia, declined the nomination due to disagreement with the law.
[4] Following the death of Samuel Vinton, President Lincoln appointed John M. Brodhead to replace him.
[5] The Commission met daily, Monday through Friday, in the old City Hall building.
Each petition included the name, age, sex, and "particular description" of each enslaved person for whom the petitioner was claiming compensation.