Citizen and Church Leader
Just two blocks from the Beckett family home on M Street, the Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal Church is a DC and national landmark. When the stately brick building was dedicated in 1886, William Beckett was one of the church’s trustees. He remained an active member of the congregation for the rest of his life.
Outside the church, Beckett was involved in numerous civic organizations. His uncle, Clement Beckett, played a significant role in the early history of Prince Hall freemasonry in Washington. After emancipation, William Beckett was a longtime member and treasurer of Masonic Social Lodge No. 1.
William Beckett also belonged to the Crispus Attucks Relief Association, a benevolent society devoted “to relieving the wants of each other in the time of sickness, and to assist in the burial of our members when they die.” And Beckett helped form a Coachman’s Union for the benefit of the city’s carriage drivers.
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Beckett worshipped at the Metropolitan AME Church on M Street (Library of Congress).