Thursday, May 19, 2011
Who is Buried in the Congressional Cemetery?
What do Belva Ann Lockwood, G. Edgar Hoover, and Leonard Matlovich have in common?
In "A Walk Through Congressional Cemetery," Josh Swiller examines the final resting places of these Constitutional Law characters and others, including some who have grave markers but were apparently not buried there.
Swiller's article in The Washingtonian also considers another cemetery inhabitant:
There’s a man named Stephen Pleasonton, buried near the main entrance, who rescued the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence from being captured and burned by the British in the War of 1812. He crammed the documents into coarse bags, commandeered a few rickety carts amid the general panic, and took off for Georgetown with minutes to spare.
Swiller makes the place seem almost as historically important as the much more famous Arlington National Cemetery, but certainly more quirky. It may be worth a trip during the 2012 AALS Convention. Meanwhile, it's suitable reading for ConLawProfs looking for a diversion from exams.
RR
https://lawprofessors.typepad.com/conlaw/2011/05/who-is-buried-in-the-congressional-cemetery-.html