In 1853, Washington migrated to Liberia with his wife and children. He was disillusioned by the threat posed to all Black Americans by the passage of the 1850 Fugitive Slave Act. There he reestablished his dauguerrotyping studio. He also worked as a merchant, a judge, and a member of the legislature. He died in Monrovia, Liberia in 1875. In its February 10, 1860 issue, the Hartford Courant published a brief report on their former resident's fortunes in his new-found home.