who was appointed by president george washington to help survey the land that become washington d.c.
SEE ALSO: Benjamin Banneker Challenges Slavery In Letter On This Day In 1791. Although historians have sought to debunk some of Bannekerâs achievements, he is largely known as one of the surveyors who worked on the layout of what would become Washington, D.C. Major Andrew Ellicott, a wealthy farmer who owned land in what is now known as Ellicott City, Md., was commissioned by President George Washington to survey and mark the boundaries authorized by Congress to become the Nationâs Capital.