Congressional Cemetery

The Congressional Cemetery is a historic cemetery located near the Anacostia River in the Anacostia neighborhood of Washington, DC.

Related Topics:
Cemetery - Anacostia - Washington, DC

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It is the final resting place of many members of the United States Congress, most of whom died in Washington while Congress was in session or afterwards when they were too ill to return to their homes. Other burials include former members of Congress, as well as members of their families.

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In recent years, very few members of Congress have been interred at this location. There are several reasons for this. One is the improvement in transportation; most members of Congress who become gravely ill are able to be taken to their home area for treatment. Another is a result of advances in preservation of human remains; if members die suddenly, their remains are usually embalmed and then returned to their home state. An additional factor is the area of the city in which the cemetery is located. Anacostia has long been considered an undesirable area with many low income residents dwelling in public housing. Even daytime visitors to the historic graves often feel intimidated. As a consequence, very few affluent families, from which nearly all members of Congress are drawn, desire the remains of their loved ones to be interred in the cemetery.

Related Topics:
Transport - State - Low income - Public housing

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Other persons who have served the United States Government are also eligible for interrment there under certain circumstances. One of the more celebrated incidences in recent years was the burial of Leonard Matlovich, a gay U.S. Air Force Vietnam veteran who was an early activist for gay rights with regard to military members.

Related Topics:
United States Government - Leonard Matlovich - Gay - U.S. Air Force - Vietnam - Veteran - Gay rights

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Those interred here include:

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• Joseph Anderson, Comptroller of the U.S. Treasury
• Theodorick Bland, U.S. Congressman
• Thomas Blount, Revolutionary War soldier, U.S. Congressman
• Mary Fuller, silent film actress
• John Gaillard, U.S. Senator
• Elbridge Gerry, U.S. Vice-President
• James Gillespie, Revolutionary War soldier, U.S. Congressman
• Archibald Henderson, Commandant of the U.S. Marine Corps
• J. Edgar Hoover, FBI Director
• Joshua Humphreys, shipbuilder
• Adelaide Johnson, sculptor, social reformer
• Horatio King, U.S. Postmaster General
• Joseph Lovell, Surgeon General of the U.S. Army
• Alexander Macomb, Jr., Revolutionary War officer
• James Noble, U.S. Senator
• William Pinkney, statesman, diplomat
• Push-Ma-Ha-Ta, Native Chief
• Edith Nourse Rogers, reformer, U.S. Congresswoman
• Alexander Smyth, lawyer, soldier, U.S. Congressman
• Richard Stanford, U.S. Congressman
• Thomas Tingey, U.S. Navy officer
• Clyde Tolson, associate director of the FBI
• Joseph Gilbert Totten, military officer, regent of the Smithsonian Institution
• Abel P. Upshur, lawyer, U.S. Sectretay of State

See also:

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• List of cemeteries in the United States
• List of other famous cemeteries
 
Congressional Cemetery: External Links ►