FROM WIKIPEDIA (I know, I know ... but still looking for better source):
In 1871, Congress created a territorial government for the entire District of Columbia, which was headed by a governor appointed by the President of the United States to a four-year term. Due to alleged mismanagement and corruption, including allegations of contractors bribing members of the District legislature to receive contracts,[8] the territorial government was discontinued in 1874.
The District of Columbia Self-Government and Governmental Reorganization Act, enacted in December 1973, does not seem to provide any such mechanism.