PoliticalGraveyard.com
The Political Graveyard: A Database of American History
Politicians Killed in Watercraft Accidents and Disasters

Very incomplete list!

in chronological order

  Thomas Lynch Jr. (1749-1779) — of South Carolina. Born in South Carolina, August 5, 1749. Member of South Carolina state legislature, 1776; Delegate to Continental Congress from South Carolina, 1776; signer, Declaration of Independence, 1776. While on an ocean voyage to France, was lost at sea, in the North Atlantic Ocean, 1779 (age about 29 years). His remains were not recovered. Memorial monument at Constitution Gardens, Washington, D.C.
  Relatives: Son of Thomas Lynch Sr..
  See also congressional biography — Govtrack.us page — Wikipedia article
  Samuel Holden Parsons (1737-1789) — Born in Lyme, New London County, Conn., May 14, 1737. Lawyer; member of Connecticut colonial assembly, 1762-74; general in the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War; member of Connecticut state house of representatives, 1784-85; justice of Northwest Territory supreme court, 1788-89. Drowned in a canoe accident, near Marietta, Washington County, Ohio, November 17, 1789 (age 52 years, 187 days). Cenotaph at Mortimer Cemetery, Middletown, Conn.
  Relatives: Son of Rev. Jonathan Parsons and Phoebe (Griswold) Parsons; father of Lucia Parsons (who married Stephen Titus Hosmer); nephew of Matthew Griswold.
  Political family: Hosmer-Griswold-Parsons family of Middletown, Connecticut (subset of the Four Thousand Related Politicians).
  See also Wikipedia article — Find-A-Grave memorial
  Josiah Stoddard Johnston (1784-1833) — also known as Josiah S. Johnston — of Alexandria, Rapides Parish, La. Born in Salisbury, Litchfield County, Conn., November 24, 1784. Democrat. Member of Orleans territorial legislature, 1805; state court judge in Louisiana, 1812; U.S. Representative from Louisiana at-large, 1821-23; U.S. Senator from Louisiana, 1824-33; died in office 1833. Slaveowner. Killed by an explosion on the steamboat Lioness, on the Red River, in Louisiana, May 19, 1833 (age 48 years, 176 days). Interment at Rapides Cemetery, Pineville, La.; cenotaph at Congressional Cemetery, Washington, D.C.
  Relatives: Half-brother of Albert Sidney Johnston.
  Political families: Harrison-Randolph-Marshall-Cabell family of Virginia; Breckinridge-Preston-Cabell-Floyd family of Virginia; Johnston-Preston family of Kentucky and Virginia (subsets of the Four Thousand Related Politicians).
  See also congressional biography — Govtrack.us page
  George L. Kinnard (1803-1836) — of Indiana. Born in Pennsylvania, 1803. Democrat. Member of Indiana state house of representatives, 1827; U.S. Representative from Indiana 6th District, 1833-36; died in office 1836. Died from injuries received in an explosion on the steamer Flora on the Ohio River, November 26, 1836 (age about 33 years). Interment at Presbyterian Burying Ground, Cincinnati, Ohio; cenotaph at Congressional Cemetery, Washington, D.C.
  See also congressional biography — Govtrack.us page
  Oliver Hillhouse Prince (1782-1837) — also known as Oliver H. Prince — of Macon, Bibb County, Ga. Born in Montville, New London County, Conn., 1782. Member of Georgia state senate, 1824; U.S. Senator from Georgia, 1828-29. Perished in the wreck of the packet ship Home, in the North Atlantic Ocean off Ocracoke Inlet, N.C., October 9, 1837 (age about 55 years); his remains were never recovered.
  See also congressional biography — Govtrack.us page — Wikipedia article
  William Beatty Rochester (1789-1838) — also known as William B. Rochester — of Bath, Steuben County, N.Y. Born in Hagerstown, Washington County, Md., January 29, 1789. Democrat. Member of New York state assembly from Allegany and Steuben counties, 1816-18; U.S. Representative from New York, 1821-23 (20th District 1821-23, 28th District 1823); candidate for Governor of New York, 1826. One of 128 people who perished on the the steam packet ship Pulaski, en route from Charleston to Baltimore, when it suffered a boiler explosion and sank in the North Atlantic Ocean off the coast of North Carolina, June 14, 1838 (age 49 years, 136 days); his remains were never recovered.
  Relatives: Son of Nathaniel Rochester and Sophia (Beatty) Rochester; brother of Thomas Hart Rochester; married 1812 to Harriet Irwin; married, January 31, 1816, to Amanda Hopkins; married, April 9, 1832, to Eliza (Hatch) Powers (widow of Gershom Powers).
  Political family: Rochester family of New York (subset of the Four Thousand Related Politicians).
  See also congressional biography — Govtrack.us page
  John Adams Cameron (1788-1838) — also known as John A. Cameron — of Fayetteville, Cumberland County, N.C.; Florida. Born in Mecklenburg County, Va., 1788. Newspaper editor; member of North Carolina house of commons from Fayetteville, 1810-12, 1820; major in the U.S. Army during the War of 1812; U.S. Consul in Veracruz, 1831-32; U.S. District Judge for Florida, 1832-38. Member, Freemasons. Perished in the wreck of the steamer Pulaski, off the coast of North Carolina, in the North Atlantic Ocean, June 14, 1838 (age about 49 years). His remains were probably not recovered.
  Presumably named for: John Adams
  Relatives: Son of Rev. John Cameron and Anne Owen (Nash) Cameron; brother of Thomas N. Cameron; married 1815 to Eliza Ann Adam; married 1818 to Catherine (McQueen) Halliday; father of Catherine LaFayette Cameron (who married William Marcus Shipp).
  Political family: Iredell-Johnston-Cameron family of North Carolina.
  See also Find-A-Grave memorial
  Douglass Houghton (1809-1845) — of Michigan. Born in Troy, Rensselaer County, N.Y., September 21, 1809. Geologist; mayor of Detroit, Mich., 1842. Drowned with four others, when a sudden storm overturned their boat, at Eagle Harbor, Keweenaw County, Mich., October 13, 1845 (age 36 years, 22 days). Interment at Elmwood Cemetery, Detroit, Mich.
  See also Find-A-Grave memorial
Stephen Allen Stephen Allen (1767-1852) — of New York, New York County, N.Y. Born July 2, 1767. Mayor of New York City, N.Y., 1821-24; member of New York state assembly from New York County, 1826; member of New York state senate 1st District, 1829-32. Killed when the steamboat Henry Clay burned and sank, killing about eighty passengers, in the Lower Hudson River, next to what is now the Riverdale section of the Bronx, July 28, 1852 (age 85 years, 26 days). Entombed at New York City Marble Cemetery, Manhattan, N.Y.
  See also Wikipedia article — Find-A-Grave memorial
  Image source: New York Public Library
  Alexander Anderson (c.1812-1855) — of California. Born about 1812. Member of California state senate, 1852; justice of California state supreme court, 1852-53. Killed by the explosion of the river steamer Pearl, January 27, 1855 (age about 43 years). Burial location unknown.
  John B. Macy (1799-1856) — of Fond du Lac, Fond du Lac County, Wis. Born in Nantucket, Nantucket County, Mass., March 25, 1799. Democrat. U.S. Representative from Wisconsin 3rd District, 1853-55. Lost his life in the burning and sinking of the steamer Niagara, a few miles from Port Washington, Wisconsin, in Lake Michigan, September 24, 1856 (age 57 years, 183 days). His remains were not found. Cenotaph at Forest Lawn Cemetery, Buffalo, N.Y.
  See also congressional biography — Govtrack.us page — Wikipedia article — Find-A-Grave memorial
  Stephen Clarendon Phillips (1801-1857) — also known as Stephen C. Phillips — of Massachusetts. Born in Salem, Essex County, Mass., November 4, 1801. Member of Massachusetts state house of representatives, 1824-29; member of Massachusetts state senate, 1830; U.S. Representative from Massachusetts 2nd District, 1834-38; mayor of Salem, Mass., 1838-42; Free Soil candidate for Governor of Massachusetts, 1848, 1849. He was among 253 passengers and crew who perished in the burning of the steamship Montreal, on the St. Lawrence River, near Quebec City, Quebec, June 26, 1857 (age 55 years, 234 days). His remains were never recovered. Cenotaph at Harmony Grove Cemetery, Salem, Mass.
  Relatives: Son of Stephen Phillips and Dorcas (Woodbridge) Phillips.
  See also congressional biography — Govtrack.us page — Wikipedia article — Find-A-Grave memorial
  James Hamilton Jr. (1786-1857) — of Charleston, Charleston District (now Charleston County), S.C. Born in Charleston, Charleston County, S.C., May 8, 1786. Major in the U.S. Army during the War of 1812; lawyer; intendant of Charleston, South Carolina, 1821-22; member of South Carolina state house of representatives, 1820; U.S. Representative from South Carolina 2nd District, 1822-29; Governor of South Carolina, 1830-32. Slaveowner. While en route from New Orleans to Galveston, through some mishap, was drowned in the Gulf of Mexico, November 15, 1857 (age 71 years, 191 days). His remains were probably never found.
  Relatives: Brother-in-law of Barnard Elliott Bee.
  Political family: Bee family of Charleston, South Carolina.
  Hamilton County, Tex. is named for him.
  See also congressional biography — Govtrack.us page — National Governors Association biography — Wikipedia article
  Rufus Wheeler Peckham (1809-1873) — also known as Rufus W. Peckham — of Albany, Albany County, N.Y. Born in Rensselaerville, Albany County, N.Y., December 20, 1809. Democrat. Lawyer; law partner of Lyman Tremain; U.S. Representative from New York 14th District, 1853-55; Justice of New York Supreme Court, 1861-69; judge of New York Court of Appeals, 1870-73; died in office 1873. Member, Kappa Alpha Society. En route to Europe on the steamer Ville du Havre, he was among 226 passengers and crew who perished when the steamer collided with the Scottish sailing vessel Loch Earn, and sank, in the North Atlantic Ocean, November 22, 1873 (age 63 years, 337 days). His remains were never found. Cenotaph at Albany Rural Cemetery, Menands, N.Y.
  Relatives: Son of Peleg Peckham and Desire (Watson) Peckham; married to Isabella Adaline Lacey and Mary Elizabeth Foote; father of Rufus Wheeler Peckham Jr.; uncle of Isabella Peckham (daughter-in-law of Andrew Galbraith Miller); first cousin once removed of Nathaniel Hazard; first cousin thrice removed of Stephen E. Peckham; third cousin once removed of Benjamin Hazard; third cousin twice removed of Ezekiel Cornell and Ebenezer Hazard; fourth cousin of Augustus George Hazard; fourth cousin once removed of Erskine Hazard.
  Political families: Cornell family of New York; King-Hazard family of Connecticut and New York; Miller-Peckham-Walworth-Hardin family of New York (subsets of the Four Thousand Related Politicians).
  See also congressional biography — Govtrack.us page — Wikipedia article
  Kirkland C. Barker (1819-1875) — of Detroit, Wayne County, Mich. Born in East Schuyler, Herkimer County, N.Y., September 8, 1819. Mayor of Detroit, Mich., 1864-65. Drowned, when the sailboat in which he was transporting ballast-lead to his yacht Cora suddenly sank, in the Detroit River near Amherstburg, Ontario, May 20, 1875 (age 55 years, 254 days). Interment at Elmwood Cemetery, Detroit, Mich.
  See also Find-A-Grave memorial
  Joseph I. Stein (d. 1880) — of New York, New York County, N.Y. Lawyer; member of New York state assembly from New York County 20th District, 1877. Jewish. Member, Freemasons; Odd Fellows. One of dozens killed in the wreck of the steamboat Seawanhaka, which burned and sank in the East River, June 28, 1880. Interment at Linden Hill Cemetery, Ridgewood, Queens, N.Y.
  Hiland R. Hulburd (1829-1880) — of Great Neck, Queens County (now Nassau County), Long Island, N.Y. Born in Ohio, 1829. Lawyer; U.S. Comptroller of the Currency, 1867-72. One of dozens killed in the wreck of the steamboat Seawanhaka, which burned and sank in the East River, June 29, 1880 (age about 50 years). Interment at Oak Dale Cemetery, Urbana, Ohio.
  Relatives: Married to Rebecca Corwin.
  See also Wikipedia article — Find-A-Grave memorial — Comptrollers of the Currency
  Oscar Anthony Iasigi (1846-1884) — also known as Oscar Iasigi — of Boston, Suffolk County, Mass. Born in Cambridge, Middlesex County, Mass., October 18, 1846. Importer and exporter; treasurer, Vassalboro woolen mills; Vice-Consul for Turkey in Boston, Mass., 1871-77; Consul-General for Turkey in Boston, Mass., 1877-84. Armenian and French ancestry. Perished in the wreck of the steamship SS City of Columbus, which hit a reef and sank, in Vineyard Sound, January 18, 1884 (age 37 years, 92 days). Interment at Mt. Auburn Cemetery, Cambridge, Mass.
  Relatives: Son of Joseph Iasigi and Eulalie (Loir) Iasigi; brother of Joseph Andrew Iasigi; father of Nora Iasigi (who married William Marshall Bullitt).
  Political family: Harrison-Randolph-Marshall-Cabell family of Virginia (subset of the Four Thousand Related Politicians).
  See also Find-A-Grave memorial
  A. C. Rand (1832-1885) — of Minneapolis, Hennepin County, Minn. Born in Boston, Suffolk County, Mass., December 31, 1832. Republican. Mayor of Minneapolis, Minn., 1878-82. Drowned in a boat explosion on Lake Minnetonka, July 12, 1885 (age 52 years, 193 days). Burial location unknown.
  Thomas Taylor Minor (1844-1889) — also known as Thomas T. Minor — of Port Townsend, Jefferson County, Wash.; Seattle, King County, Wash. Born, of American parents, in Manepy, Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), February 20, 1844. Republican. Served in the Union Army during the Civil War; physician; one of the founders of the Seattle, Lake Shore and Eastern Railroad; delegate to Republican National Convention from Washington Territory, 1880; mayor of Port Townsend, Wash., 1880-83; mayor of Seattle, Wash., 1887-88. Member, Freemasons. Last seen traveling by canoe to Whidbey Island, with others, on a duck huting trip, and was never heard from again; presumed drowned in a watercraft accident, in Puget Sound, December 2, 1889 (age 45 years, 285 days). His canoe was recovered, but his remains were not found.
  Relatives: Son of Eastman Strong Minor and Judith (Manchester) Minor; married, August 20, 1872, to Sarah Montgomery; grandfather of Thomas Minor Pelly.
  Political family: Moriarty-Minor family of Seattle, Washington.
  The T.T. Minor School (built 1890, demolished 1940, rebuilt 1941, closed 2010, renovated and reopened 2016), in Seattle, Washington, is named for him.  — Minor Avenue, in Seattle, Washington, is named for him.
  See also Wikipedia article — Find-A-Grave memorial
  Rounsevelle Wildman (1864-1901) — of California. Born in Batavia, Genesee County, N.Y., March 19, 1864. U.S. Consul in Singapore, 1889-97; U.S. Consul General in Hong Kong, 1897-1901, died in office 1901. En route from Hong Kong to San Francisco on the SS City of Rio de Janeiro, he and his family were among 135 who perished when the ship struck a reef in dense fog, and quickly sank, in San Francisco Bay, February 22, 1901 (age 36 years, 340 days); his remains were not found.
  Relatives: Son of Edwin Wildman and Helen Pamela (Rounsevelle) Wildman; brother of Edwin Rounsevelle Wildman; married to Letitia Sherman Aldrich; third cousin once removed of Charles Beers Hatch, Joseph Russell Hatch and Norris Hatch; third cousin twice removed of David DeForest Wildman; third cousin thrice removed of Zalmon Wildman and Nathaniel Hibbard Wildman.
  Political families: Wildman family of Danbury, Connecticut; Kellogg-Adams-Seymour-Chapin family of Connecticut and New York (subsets of the Four Thousand Related Politicians).
  See also Find-A-Grave memorial
  Isidor Straus (1845-1912) — of New York, New York County, N.Y. Born in Otterberg, Bavaria (now Germany), February 6, 1845. Democrat. U.S. Representative from New York 15th District, 1894-95. Jewish. One of the owners of the R. H. Macy & Co. department store in New York. Perished in the wreck of the steamship Titanic, in the North Atlantic Ocean, April 15, 1912 (age 67 years, 69 days); his body was subsequently recovered. Originally entombed at Beth El Cemetery, Glendale, Queens, N.Y.; later interred at Woodlawn Cemetery, Bronx, N.Y.; memorial monument at Straus Park, Manhattan, N.Y.
  Relatives: Son of Lazarus Straus and Sara (Straus) Straus; brother of Oscar Solomon Straus; married, July 12, 1871, to Ida Blum; father of Jesse Isidor Straus; uncle of Nathan Straus Jr.; grandfather of Stuart Scheftel; granduncle of Ronald Peter Straus.
  Political family: Straus family of New York City, New York (subset of the Four Thousand Related Politicians).
  Straus Hall (built 1926), a dormitory at Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, is named for him and his wife.  — Straus Park (established 1895 as Schuyler Square; renamed 1907 as Bloomingdale Square; renamed 1915 as Straus Park), at Broadway and West End Avenue in Morningside Heights, Manhattan, New York, is named for him and his wife.
  See also congressional biography — Govtrack.us page — Find-A-Grave memorial
  Books about Isidor Straus: June Hall McCash, A Titanic Love Story: Ida and Isidor Straus
  Robert Ney McNeely (1883-1915) — also known as Robert McNeely — of Monroe, Union County, N.C. Born in Union County, N.C., November 12, 1883. Lawyer; member of North Carolina state house of representatives, 1909-10; U.S. Consul in Aden, 1915, died in office 1915. While en route to Aden as a passenger on the British liner Persia, he was one of 385 passengers and crew who perished when the ship was hit by a German torpedo, and sank, in the Mediterranean Sea, December 20, 1915 (age 32 years, 38 days). His body was apparently not recovered.
  See also Find-A-Grave memorial
  Alfred Louis Moreau Gottschalk (1873-1918) — also known as Alfred L. M. Gottschalk — Born in New York, New York County, N.Y., February 8, 1873. Newspaper correspondent; sugar grower; U.S. Consul in Callao, 1903-05; U.S. Consul General in Callao, 1905-06; Mexico City, 1906-08; , 1908-11; Rio de Janeiro, 1916-18, died in office 1918. Member, Delta Kappa Epsilon. While en route from Bahia, Brazil to Baltimore on the U.S. Navy ship Cyclops, during World War I, he was one of 306 sailors and passengers who perished when the ship sank, in the North Atlantic Ocean, March, 1918 (age 45 years, 0 days). The wreckage was never found.
  Relatives: Son of L. G. Gottschalk and Louise de L. (Boucher) Gottschalk.
George W. Borowitz George W. Borowitz (1870-1938) — of Wausau, Marathon County, Wis. Born in Germany, December 7, 1870. Tailor; mayor of Wausau, Wis., 1935-38. Catholic. Member, Knights of Columbus; Catholic Order of Foresters; Eagles; Elks. While on a hunting and fishing trip, he and three other men from Wausau (N. P. Beck, Herman Belter, and J. William Delaney) drowned when their boat capsized, in Island Lake, Vilas County, Wis., November 12, 1938 (age 67 years, 340 days). The overturned boat was found two days later; the bodies were recovered from the lake the following April. Interment at St. Joseph's Catholic Cemetery, Wausau, Wis.
  Relatives: Son of Michael Borowitz and Hulda (Lambs) Borowitz; married, January 20, 1899, to Josephine Kroupa.
  See also Find-A-Grave memorial
  Image source: Appleton (Wis.) Post-Crescent, November 14, 1938
  John W. Speakman (1900-1942) — of Danville, Vermilion County, Ill. Born in Vermilion County, Ill., March 5, 1900. Republican. Lawyer; member of Illinois state house of representatives; elected 1936, 1938; member of Illinois state senate 22nd District; elected 1940. Member, Freemasons. Drowned when his boat capsized, June 7, 1942 (age 42 years, 94 days). Interment at Spring Hill Cemetery, Danville, Ill.
  Carl Frederick Zeidler (1908-1942) — also known as Carl Zeidler; "Singing Mayor"; "Boy Mayor" — of Milwaukee, Milwaukee County, Wis. Born in Milwaukee, Milwaukee County, Wis., January 4, 1908. Mayor of Milwaukee, Wis., 1940-42; resigned 1942; served in the U.S. Navy during World War II. Killed when the munitions ship La Salle was struck by torpedos, exploded, and sank, about 350 miles southeast of the Cape of Good Hope, in the Indian Ocean, November 7, 1942 (age 34 years, 307 days); his remains were never found. Cenotaph at Forest Home Cemetery, Milwaukee, Wis.
  Relatives: Brother of Frank P. Zeidler.
  Carl F. Zeidler Park (now Zeidler Union Square), in downtown Milwaukee, Wisconsin, is named for him.
  See also Wikipedia article — Find-A-Grave memorial
  Albert Denis Cash (1897-1952) — also known as Albert D. Cash — of Cincinnati, Hamilton County, Ohio. Born in Cincinnati, Hamilton County, Ohio, August 21, 1897. Democrat. Served in the U.S. Army during World War I; lawyer; delegate to Democratic National Convention from Ohio, 1940; mayor of Cincinnati, Ohio, 1948-51. Catholic. Was fishing when a freak storm overturned his boat and drowned him, on a lake in Michigan, August 2, 1952 (age 54 years, 347 days). Burial location unknown.
  Stanley Jarolin (c.1933-2000) — Born about 1933. Democrat. Plumbing and heating contractor; member of Pennsylvania state house of representatives, 1983-98; defeated in primary, 1998. While fishing with a friend, their boat capsized; he made it to shore but died soon after from a heart attack, in Luzerne County, Pa., May 13, 2000 (age about 67 years). Burial location unknown.
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The Political Graveyard

The Political Graveyard is a web site about U.S. political history and cemeteries. Founded in 1996, it is the Internet's most comprehensive free source for American political biography, listing 320,919 politicians, living and dead.
 
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