Congressional Cemetery

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The Congressional Cemetery is a historic cemetery located at 1801 E Street, SE, near the Anacostia River. 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. Nineteenth-century Washington, D.C. families unaffiliated with the federal government have also had graves and tombs at the cemetery. The cemetery was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on June 23, 1969.

It was first established in 1807 by Christ Church as the Washington Parish Burial Ground. By 1817 sites were set aside for government legislators and officials; this includes cenotaphs for many legislators buried elsewhere. A large number of these have a design that has been attributed to Benjamin Latrobe. The Latrobe design consists of a large square block with recessed panels set on a wider plinth and surmounted by a conical point. The design is considered a rare and possibly unique example of Visionary architecture in the United States, of the kind practiced by the 18th-century French visionary architects Etienne-Louis Boullée and Claude Nicolas Ledoux.

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.

Other persons who have served the U.S. federal government are also eligible for interment 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 War veteran who was an early activist for gay rights for military members. In addition, many old Washingtonians are buried there including early members of the fire department.