Lafayette Avenue is named after Marquis de Lafayette (born in the Auvergne region of France on September 6, 1757; died May 20, 1834), who was a French military officer and former aristocrat who participated in both the American and French revolutions.
Lafayette earned the trust and respect of George Washington and served in the American Revolutionary War as a general and diplomat without pay.
Although Lafayette initially owned slaves, he became actively involved in the abolitionist cause. He worked to free slaves in the Caribbean where the slave trade was booming, and also made a proposal to George Washington that they consider a joint venture for gradual emancipation.
