PoliticalGraveyard.com
The Political Graveyard: A Database of American History
Politicians Killed by Weather Conditions

Very incomplete list!

in chronological order

Joel Barlow Joel Barlow (1754-1812) — of Hartford, Hartford County, Conn. Born in Redding, Fairfield County, Conn., March 24, 1754. Served in the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War; chaplain; writer; poet; lawyer; U.S. Consul in Cadiz, 1792-93; U.S. Consul General in Algiers, 1796-97; U.S. Minister to France, 1811-12, died in office 1812. Member, Society of the Cincinnati; Freemasons. He was sent to Algeria to negotiate for the release of those held prisoner by the Barbary pirates, and was protected by a detachment of U.S. Marines. The words "to the shores of Tripoli" in the U.S. Marine Hymn are a reference to this incident. Died, of pneumonia or exposure, in Zarnowiec, Poland, December 24, 1812 (age 58 years, 275 days). Interment at Churchyard, Zarnowiec, Poland; cenotaph at Great Pasture Road Cemetery, Redding, Conn.
  Relatives: Son of Samuel Barlow and Esther (Hull) Barlow; married, December 26, 1779, to Ruth Baldwin (sister of Abraham Baldwin).
  Political family: Baldwin family of Connecticut.
  Joel Barlow High School, in Redding, Connecticut, is named for him.
  See also Wikipedia article — U.S. State Dept career summary — NNDB dossier — Find-A-Grave memorial
  Books about Joel Barlow: Peter P. Hill, Joel Barlow, American Diplomat and Nation Builder
  Image source: National Portrait Gallery
  William Wyatt Bibb (1781-1820) — also known as William W. Bibb — of Petersburg, Elbert County, Ga. Born in Amelia County, Va., October 2, 1781. Democrat. Physician; member of Georgia state house of representatives, 1803-05; U.S. Representative from Georgia, 1807-13 (4th District 1807, at-large 1807-09, 1st District 1809-11, at-large 1811-13); U.S. Senator from Georgia, 1813-16; Governor of Alabama Territory, 1817-19; Governor of Alabama, 1819-20; died in office 1820. Fell from his horse during a thunderstorm, sustained internal injuries, and died in Autauga County (part now in Elmore County), Ala., July 10, 1820 (age 38 years, 282 days). Interment a private or family graveyard, Elmore County, Ala.
  Relatives: Son of William Bibb and Sally (Wyatt) Bibb (who later married William Barnett); brother of Thomas Bibb; married 1803 to Mary Ann Freeman; granduncle of Albert Taylor Goodwyn; cousin *** of David Bibb Graves.
  Political family: Bibb-Graves family of Alabama.
  Cross-reference: Willis Roberts
  Bibb counties in Ala. and Ga. are named for him.
  See also congressional biography — Govtrack.us page — National Governors Association biography — Wikipedia article — Find-A-Grave memorial
  Thomas Marshall (1784-1835) — Born in Richmond, Va., July 21, 1784. Delegate to Virginia state constitutional convention, 1829. During a storm, he took shelter in the burned ruins of the Baltimore County Courthouse, and was struck in the head by a brick dislodged by lightning; he suffered a fractured skull, and died a week later, in Baltimore, Md., June 29, 1835 (age 50 years, 343 days). Burial location unknown.
  Relatives: Son of John Marshall and Mary Willis (Ambler) Marshall; brother of James Keith Marshall; married, October 19, 1809, to Margaret W. Lewis; nephew of James Markham Marshall and Alexander Keith Marshall; grandson of Jacquelin Ambler; great-grandnephew of Robert Carter Nicholas (1729-1780); second great-grandnephew of Richard Randolph; first cousin once removed of John Augustine Marshall; first cousin twice removed of George Nicholas, Wilson Cary Nicholas, John Nicholas, William Marshall Bullitt and Alexander Scott Bullitt; first cousin thrice removed of Richard Bland, Peyton Randolph (1721-1775) and Benjamin Harrison (1726-1791); second cousin of William Marshall Ambler; second cousin once removed of Thomas Mann Randolph Jr., Peyton Randolph (1779-1828) and Robert Carter Nicholas (1787-1857); second cousin twice removed of Theodorick Bland, Thomas Jefferson, Edmund Jenings Randolph, Beverley Randolph, Carter Bassett Harrison, William Henry Harrison and John Randolph of Roanoke; third cousin of Benjamin Franklin Randolph, Meriwether Lewis Randolph, Peter Myndert Dox, George Wythe Randolph and Edmund Randolph; third cousin once removed of Henry Lee, Charles Lee, Burwell Bassett, Edmund Jennings Lee, Martha Jefferson Randolph, Dabney Carr, Henry St. George Tucker, John Scott Harrison, Thomas Jefferson Coolidge, Edmund Randolph Cocke and Harry Bartow Hawes; third cousin twice removed of John Gardner Coolidge and Francis Beverley Biddle; fourth cousin of Francis Wayles Eppes, Dabney Smith Carr, Nathaniel Beverly Tucker, Carter Henry Harrison and Benjamin Harrison (1833-1901); fourth cousin once removed of John Wayles Eppes, Fitzhugh Lee, Connally Findlay Trigg, Russell Benjamin Harrison, Carter Henry Harrison II, Richard Evelyn Byrd, Frederick Madison Roberts and William Welby Beverley.
  Political families: Pendleton-Lee family of Maryland; Lee-Randolph family; Harrison-Randolph-Marshall-Cabell family of Virginia; Blackburn-Slaughter-Buckner-Madison family of Kentucky (subsets of the Four Thousand Related Politicians).
  Joshua Pilcher (1790-1843) — of Missouri. Born in Culpeper County, Va., March 15, 1790. Fur trader; U.S. Consul in Chihuahua, 1825-27; Indian agent; Superintendent of Indian Affairs. Member, Freemasons. Died, of sickness resulting from exposure to the elements, in St. Louis, Mo., June 5, 1843 (age 53 years, 82 days). Original interment at Christ Church Cemetery, St. Louis, Mo.; reinterment at Bellefontaine Cemetery, St. Louis, Mo.
  Relatives: Son of Joshua Pilcher (1749-1810) and Nancy Pilcher.
  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
  Archibald McNeill (d. 1849) — of North Carolina. Born in Moore County, N.C. Member of North Carolina house of commons, 1808-09; member of North Carolina state senate, 1811-13, 1820-21; U.S. Representative from North Carolina 7th District, 1821-23, 1825-27. Slaveowner. In 1849 he was captain of about one hundred men traveling from Texas to California; struck by a desert sandstorm in what is now Arizona, he and most of the men were killed; his remains were not recovered.
  See also congressional biography — Govtrack.us page
  Chauncey M. Abbott (c.1821-1863) — of Niles, Cayuga County, N.Y. Born about 1821. Member of New York state assembly from Cayuga County 2nd District, 1858-59; member of New York state senate 25th District, 1862-63; died in office 1863. Worked outdoors at the polls on election day, 1863, and reportedly became ill from "over-exertion and exposure to the inclemency of the weather"; he died suddenly, of "neuralgia", on November 11, 1863 (age about 42 years). Interment at Westfall Cemetery, Twelve Corners, N.Y.
  See also Find-A-Grave memorial
  James Harvey Ralston (1807-1864) — also known as James H. Ralston — of Quincy, Adams County, Ill.; Sacramento County, Calif.; Virginia City, Storey County, Nev.; Austin, Lander County, Nev. Born in Bourbon County, Ky., October 12, 1807. Democrat. Served in the U.S. Army during the Black Hawk War; circuit judge in Illinois 5th Circuit, 1837; member of Illinois state house of representatives, 1837-39; candidate for Presidential Elector for Illinois; member of Illinois state senate, 1841-45; candidate for U.S. Representative from Illinois, 1841; member of Illinois Democratic State Committee, 1841-46; served in the U.S. Army during the Mexican War; went to California for the 1849 Gold Rush; member of California state senate, 1853-54; candidate for chief justice of California state supreme court, 1856; delegate to Nevada state constitutional convention, 1863. Member, Freemasons. Died after becoming lost in a snowstorm, in Nye County, Nev., May 8, 1864 (age 56 years, 209 days). Interment somewhere in Austin, Nev.
  Relatives: Son of John Ralston and Elizabeth (Neely) Ralston; married, October 11, 1832, to June Alexander; married 1853 to Harriet N. Jackson; father of Jackson Harvey Ralston.
John Van_Buren John Van Buren (1810-1866) — also known as "Prince John" — of Albany, Albany County, N.Y. Born in Hudson, Columbia County, N.Y., February 10, 1810. Lawyer; New York state attorney general, 1845-47; appointed 1845; defeated, 1847, 1865; in September 1845, during a trial, he and opposing counsel Ambrose L. Jordan came to blows in the courtroom; both were sentenced to 24 hours solitary confinement in jail; his resignation as Attorney General was refused by the governor. Died, from exposure, on board the ship Scotia, en route from Liverpool to New York, in the North Atlantic Ocean, October 13, 1866 (age 56 years, 245 days). Interment at Albany Rural Cemetery, Menands, N.Y.
  Relatives: Son of Martin Van Buren and Hannah (Hoes) Van Buren; married, June 22, 1841, to Elizabeth Vanderpoel; nephew of James Isaac Van Alen; second cousin once removed of Barent Van Buren; second cousin thrice removed of Dirck Ten Broeck and Cornelis Cuyler; third cousin once removed of Thomas Brodhead Van Buren; third cousin twice removed of Harold Sheffield Van Buren; fourth cousin once removed of James Livingston.
  Political family: Livingston-Schuyler family of New York (subset of the Four Thousand Related Politicians).
  See also Wikipedia article
  Image source: Library of Congress
  George W. Guess (c.1829-1868) — of Dallas, Dallas County, Tex. Born in North Carolina, about 1829. Lawyer; colonel in the Confederate Army during the Civil War; mayor of Dallas, Tex., 1866-68. Member, Freemasons. Died of sunstroke, aboard a steamboat on the Mississippi River, at a wharf in Memphis, Shelby County, Tenn., July 18, 1868 (age about 39 years). Interment at Elmwood Cemetery, Memphis, Tenn.
  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
  Halbert F. Brimberry (1864-1909) — of Macon, Bibb County, Ga.; Albany, Dougherty County, Ga. Born in Camilla, Mitchell County, Ga., February 24, 1864. Republican. Postmaster at Albany, Ga., 1902-09; delegate to Republican National Convention from Georgia, 1908. While driving his automobile during a heavy rainstorm after dark, he collided with a horsedrawn wagon, was thrown to the ground, never regained consciousness, and died three days later, in Albany, Dougherty County, Ga., October 27, 1909 (age 45 years, 245 days). Interment at Oakview Cemetery, Albany, Ga.
  Relatives: Son of Benjamin Franklin Brimberry and Juliet (Hodges) Brimberry; married 1885 to Nellie B. Brimberry.
  Political family: Brimberry family of Albany, Georgia.
  Epitaph: "Our Boy."
  See also Find-A-Grave memorial
  Watson Merrick Rogers (1844-1911) — also known as Watson M. Rogers — of Watertown, Jefferson County, N.Y. Born in Cape Vincent, Jefferson County, N.Y., December 3, 1844. Lawyer; Justice of New York Supreme Court 5th District, 1902-11; died in office 1911. Slipped and fell on an icy sidewalk, suffered a head injury, and died three weeks later, in Watertown, Jefferson County, N.Y., February 1, 1911 (age 66 years, 60 days). Interment at Brookside Cemetery, Watertown, N.Y.
  Relatives: Son of Fordyce M. Rogers and Eleanor (Van Ostrand) Rogers; married, August 5, 1874, to Mary Adele Webster; third cousin once removed of James Rodes Saltonstall.
  Political family: Saltonstall-Davis-Frelinghuysen-Appleton family of Massachusetts (subset of the Four Thousand Related Politicians).
  See also Find-A-Grave memorial
  George Herbert Prouty (1862-1918) — also known as George H. Prouty — of Newport, Orleans County, Vt. Born in Newport, Orleans County, Vt., March 4, 1862. Republican. Lumber business; member of Vermont state house of representatives, 1896-97; member of Vermont state senate, 1904; Lieutenant Governor of Vermont, 1906-08; Governor of Vermont, 1908-10; delegate to Republican National Convention from Vermont, 1916. Congregationalist. Killed when the car in which he was riding was hit by a train, in dense fog, at a grade crossing near Waterville, Quebec, August 19, 1918 (age 56 years, 168 days). Interment at East Main Street Cemetery, Newport, Vt.
  Relatives: Son of John Azro Prouty and Hannah Barker (Lamb) Prouty; brother of Charles Azro Prouty; married, December 1, 1890, to Henrietta 'Nettie' Allen; half-uncle of Winston Lewis Prouty; fourth cousin of Carlton Prouty.
  Political family: Prouty family of Newport, Vermont.
  See also National Governors Association biography — Wikipedia article — Find-A-Grave memorial
Charles F. Van_de_Water Charles Franklin Van de Water (1872-1920) — also known as Charles F. Van de Water — of Long Beach, Los Angeles County, Calif. Born in Hobart, Delaware County, N.Y., October 10, 1872. Republican. Real estate developer; bank director; elected U.S. Representative from California 9th District 1920, but died before taking office. Methodist. While driving in a dense fog, he collided with a truck parked on the road, and died soon after, in Pomona Valley Hospital, Pomona, Los Angeles County, Calif., November 20, 1920 (age 48 years, 41 days). His secretary, Janice Luebben, was also killed, and others in his car were injured. The truck driver, Carlyle Hughes, was later convicted of criminal negligence for leaving the truck on the road. Interment at Sunnyside Cemetery, Long Beach, Calif.
  Relatives: Son of Jane Bertha 'Jennie' (Wilde) Van de Water and Rev. Isaac Randolph Van de Water; married 1904 to Edith Weir Van de Water.
  Image source: U.S. passport application (1920)
Andrew J. Barchfeld * Andrew Jackson Barchfeld (1863-1922) — also known as Andrew J. Barchfeld — of Pittsburgh, Allegheny County, Pa. Born in Pittsburgh, Allegheny County, Pa., May 18, 1863. Republican. Physician; president, South Side Hospital; U.S. Representative from Pennsylvania 32nd District, 1905-17; defeated, 1902. German ancestry. Member, American Medical Association. One of 98 killed when heavy snow caused a roof collapse at the Knickerbocker Theater, Washington, D.C., January 28, 1922 (age 58 years, 255 days). Interment at South Side Cemetery, Pittsburgh, Pa.
  Presumably named for: Andrew Jackson
  Relatives: Son of Mary (Neuenhagen) Barchfeld and Heinrich 'Henry' Barchfeld; married, May 21, 1885, to Anna Pifer; married, November 26, 1904, to Alice Davis.
  See also congressional biography — Govtrack.us page — Wikipedia article — Find-A-Grave memorial
  Image source: The Book of Prominent Pennsylvanians (1913)
Richard Croker Richard Welsted Croker (1841-1922) — also known as Richard Croker — of New York, New York County, N.Y.; County Dublin, Ireland. Born in Clonakilty, County Cork, Ireland, November 23, 1841. Democrat. Railroad mechanic; charged with the murder of a political enemy in 1874; tried and found not guilty; delegate to Democratic National Convention from New York, 1888, 1892, 1900. Irish ancestry. Member, Tammany Hall. Leader of Tammany Hall from 1886 until 1901. Suffered exposure during a snowstorm, was ill for months, and subsequently died, in County Dublin, Ireland, April 29, 1922 (age 80 years, 157 days). Original interment at Glencairn House Grounds, County Dublin, Ireland; reinterment in 1939 at Kilgobbin Cemetery, County Dublin, Ireland.
  Relatives: Son of Eyre Coote Croker and Frances Laura (Welsted) Croker; married, November 1, 1873, to Elizabeth Frazer; married, November 26, 1914, to Bula Benton Edmonson.
  Cross-reference: Henry Woltman
  See also Wikipedia article
  Image source: American Monthly Review of Reviews, February 1902
  Samuel Brashear Avis (1872-1924) — of Charleston, Kanawha County, W.Va. Born in Harrisonburg, Va., February 19, 1872. Republican. Lawyer; served in the U.S. Army during the Spanish-American War; U.S. Representative from West Virginia 3rd District, 1913-15; delegate to Republican National Convention from West Virginia, 1916. Episcopalian. Killed by lightning in Charleston, Kanawha County, W.Va., June 8, 1924 (age 52 years, 110 days). Interment at Spring Hill Cemetery, Spring Hill, W.Va.
  Relatives: Son of Braxton D. Avis and Harriet Elizabeth (Wilson) Avis; married, December 6, 1899, to Florence Miriam Atkinson (daughter of George Wesley Atkinson).
  See also congressional biography — Govtrack.us page — Find-A-Grave memorial
  Cass J. Jankowski (1889-1930) — of Detroit, Wayne County, Mich. Born in Gnesen, Prussia (now Gniezno, Poland), December 7, 1889. Republican. Lawyer; banker; member of Michigan state senate 2nd District, 1927-30; died in office 1930. Member, American Bar Association. While traveling to Washington with U.S. Rep. Clarence J. McLeod, their car skidded on an icy road, and collided with a lumber truck; he suffered a skull fracture, and died a few days later in a hospital at Warren, Trumbull County, Ohio, December 2, 1930 (age 40 years, 360 days). Congressman McLeod, who was driving, suffered comparatively minor injuries. Interment at Mt. Olivet Cemetery, Detroit, Mich.
  Giles Russell Taggart (1870-1931) — also known as G. Russell Taggart — of Washington, D.C.; Woodbury, Gloucester County, N.J. Born in Clarksboro, Gloucester County, N.J., July 20, 1870. U.S. Consul in Cornwall, 1912-17; Fort William, 1917-20; Port Arthur, 1917-20; London, 1920-27; Belize City, 1927-30. Seriously injured and suffered exposure during a hurricane, contracted pneumonia, and died a few days later, in Belize City, Belize, September 15, 1931 (age 61 years, 57 days). His heroism in saving others' lives during the storm was recognized in 1934 by the U.S. House of Representatives. Interment at Mission Burial Park South, San Antonio, Tex.
  Relatives: Son of William S. Taggart and Sarah Miles (Hallam) Taggart; married, June 29, 1893, to Emma Rebecca Harper; third cousin once removed of Henry Brewster Stanton; third cousin twice removed of Jeremiah Mason; third cousin thrice removed of John Adams; fourth cousin of Erskine Mason Phelps.
  Political families: Kellogg-Adams-Seymour-Chapin family of Connecticut and New York; Livingston-Schuyler family of New York; Shearman-Stanton-Browning family of Rhode Island (subsets of the Four Thousand Related Politicians).
  Epitaph: "Father, in Thy holy keeping / Leave we now Thy servant sleeping."
  See also Find-A-Grave memorial
  Bronson Murray Cutting (1888-1935) — also known as Bronson M. Cutting — of Santa Fe, Santa Fe County, N.M. Born in Oakdale, Suffolk County, Long Island, N.Y., June 23, 1888. Republican. Served in the U.S. Army during World War I; U.S. Senator from New Mexico, 1927-28, 1929-35; died in office 1935; delegate to Republican National Convention from New Mexico, 1932; member of Republican National Committee from New Mexico, 1932. Episcopalian. Member, American Legion. Killed, along with both pilots and one other passenger, when a twin-engine Transcontinental and Western air liner, ran out of fuel in a dense fog, and crashed near Atlanta, Macon County, Mo., May 6, 1935 (age 46 years, 317 days). Nine other passengers were injured. Interment at Green-Wood Cemetery, Brooklyn, N.Y.
  Relatives: Son of William Bayard Cutting and Olivia Peyton (Murray) Cutting; great-grandnephew of Henry Walter Livingston; second great-grandson of Walter Livingston; second great-grandnephew of Peter Robert Livingston (1737-1794) and Pieter Schuyler (1746-1792); third great-grandson of Robert Livingston (1708-1790); third great-grandnephew of Peter Van Brugh Livingston, Philip Livingston, William Livingston, Philip John Schuyler, Philip P. Schuyler and Stephen John Schuyler; fourth great-grandson of Johannes Schuyler (1697-1746) and Stephanus Bayard; fourth great-grandnephew of John Livingston, Robert Livingston (1688-1775) and Gilbert Livingston; fifth great-grandson of Stephanus Van Cortlandt, Robert Livingston the Elder, Pieter Schuyler (1657-1724), Pieter Van Brugh and Johannes Schuyler (1668-1747); fifth great-grandnephew of Jacobus Van Cortlandt and Johannes Cuyler; sixth great-grandson of Nicholas Bayard (c.1644-1707); seventh great-grandnephew of Pieter Stuyvesant; first cousin twice removed of Edward Livingston (1796-1840); first cousin four times removed of Philip Peter Livingston, Henry Brockholst Livingston, Peter Samuel Schuyler and Philip Jeremiah Schuyler; first cousin five times removed of Robert Gilbert Livingston, Robert R. Livingston (1718-1775), Pierre Van Cortlandt and Nicholas Bayard (1736-1802); first cousin six times removed of Robert Livingston the Younger, Cornelis Cuyler and John Cruger Jr.; first cousin seven times removed of David Davidse Schuyler and Myndert Davidtse Schuyler; second cousin twice removed of Peter Robert Livingston (1789-1859); second cousin thrice removed of Stephen Van Rensselaer, Philip Schuyler Van Rensselaer, Peter Augustus Jay, Rensselaer Westerlo, Edward Philip Livingston, William Alexander Duer, John Duer, Philip Schuyler, James Alexander Hamilton, William Jay and Charles Ludlow Livingston (1800-1873); second cousin four times removed of Jeremiah Van Rensselaer, Robert Van Rensselaer, Robert R. Livingston (1746-1813), James Livingston, John Tyler (1747-1813), Philip Van Cortlandt, Pierre Van Cortlandt Jr., Edward Livingston (1764-1836) and James Parker; second cousin five times removed of Volkert Petrus Douw, James Jay, Henry Cruger, Hendrick Kiliaen Van Rensselaer, John Jay, Frederick Jay and Killian Killian Van Rensselaer; third cousin of Charles Ludlow Livingston (born 1870) and John Eliot Thayer Jr.; third cousin once removed of Brockholst Livingston; third cousin twice removed of William Duer, Henry Bell Van Rensselaer, Denning Duer, Henry Brockholst Ledyard and John Jay II; third cousin thrice removed of George Madison, Peter Robert Livingston (1766-1847), Jacob Rutsen Van Rensselaer, Maturin Livingston, John Tyler (1790-1862), Hamilton Fish, John Cortlandt Parker and James Adams Ekin; fourth cousin of Herbert Livingston Satterlee; fourth cousin once removed of Kiliaen Van Rensselaer, Nicholas Fish, Hamilton Fish Jr., Robert Ray Hamilton, John Kean and Hamilton Fish Kean.
  Political families: Livingston-Schuyler family of New York; VanRensselaer family of Albany, New York (subsets of the Four Thousand Related Politicians).
  Politician named for him: Bronson C. LaFollette
  Epitaph: "Light and understanding and wisdom was found in him. And the common people heard him gladly."
  See also congressional biography — Govtrack.us page — Find-A-Grave memorial
  William Louis Day (1876-1936) — also known as William L. Day — of Canton, Stark County, Ohio; Cleveland, Cuyahoga County, Ohio. Born in Canton, Stark County, Ohio, August 13, 1876. Republican. Lawyer; U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio, 1908-11; U.S. District Judge for the Northern District of Ohio, 1911-14; delegate to Republican National Convention from Ohio, 1920. Lutheran. Died, from a heart attack aggravated by hot weather, in Cleveland, Cuyahoga County, Ohio, July 15, 1936 (age 59 years, 337 days). Burial location unknown.
  Relatives: Son of William Rufus Day and Mary Elizabeth (Schaefer) Day; brother of Stephen Albion Day; married, September 10, 1902, to Elizabeth E. McKay; grandson of Luther T. Day; great-grandson of Rufus Paine Spalding.
  Political family: Day family of Canton, Ohio.
  Orlando Fleming Barnes (1856-1937) — also known as Orlando F. Barnes — of Lansing, Ingham County, Mich. Born in Mason, Ingham County, Mich., November 7, 1856. Democrat. Mayor of Lansing, Mich., 1882-84; candidate for U.S. Representative from Michigan 6th District, 1888; candidate for Michigan land commissioner, 1910, 1912; president, Roscommon State Bank; candidate for Michigan state treasurer, 1922. Congregationalist. Member, Freemasons; Royal Arch Masons; Knights Templar; Knights of Pythias. While traveling south on U.S. 27 during icy conditions, his car skidded and collided with an oncoming truck; he was brought to a nearby Civilian Conservation Corps camp, where he died the same evening, in Roscommon County, Mich., January 13, 1937 (age 80 years, 67 days). Interment at Mt. Hope Cemetery, Lansing, Mich.
  Relatives: Son of Orlando Mack Barnes and Amanda (Fleming) Barnes.
  See also Find-A-Grave memorial
  George Henry Heinke (1882-1940) — also known as George H. Heinke — of Nebraska City, Otoe County, Neb. Born near Dunbar, Otoe County, Neb., July 22, 1882. Republican. Lawyer; Otoe County Prosecuting Attorney, 1919-23, 1927-35; U.S. Representative from Nebraska 1st District, 1939-40; died in office 1940. Injured in an automobile collision during a snowstorm, and died a week later in a hospital at Morrilton, Conway County, Ark., January 2, 1940 (age 57 years, 164 days). Interment at Wyuka Cemetery, Nebraska City, Neb.
  See also congressional biography — Govtrack.us page — Wikipedia article — Find-A-Grave memorial
Ernest Lundeen Ernest Lundeen (1878-1940) — of Minneapolis, Hennepin County, Minn.; Wayzata, Hennepin County, Minn. Born in Beresford, Union County, S.Dak., August 4, 1878. Served in the U.S. Army during the Spanish-American War; lawyer; member of Minnesota state house of representatives District 42, 1911-14; delegate to Republican National Convention from Minnesota, 1912 (alternate), 1916; U.S. Representative from Minnesota, 1917-19, 1933-37 (5th District 1917-19, at-large 1933-35, 3rd District 1935-37); defeated (Independent), 1920; candidate for Governor of Minnesota, 1928; U.S. Senator from Minnesota, 1937-40; defeated, 1923 (Republican primary), 1930 (Farmer-Labor); died in office 1940. Methodist. Swedish ancestry. Member, Freemasons; Delta Sigma Rho; United Spanish War Veterans. One of 25 passengers and crew killed in the crash of a Pennsylvania Central Airlines transport plane, bound from Washington to Pittsburgh, during an intense storm, near Lovettsville, Loudoun County, Va., August 31, 1940 (age 62 years, 27 days). Interment at Fort Snelling National Cemetery, Minneapolis, Minn.
  Relatives: Son of Rev. Charles Henry Lundeen and Christina (Peterson) Lundeen; married, February 5, 1919, to Norma Matheson Ward.
  See also congressional biography — Govtrack.us page — Wikipedia article — Find-A-Grave memorial — Minnesota Legislator record
  Image source: Minnesota Legislative Manual 1917
  Earl Wilcox Snell (1895-1947) — also known as Earl Snell — of Arlington, Gilliam County, Ore. Born near Olex, Gilliam County, Ore., July 11, 1895. Republican. Secretary of state of Oregon, 1935-43; Governor of Oregon, 1943-47; died in office 1947. While flying to southern Oregon on a hunting trip, along with Secretary of State Robert S. Farrell, Jr. and State Senate President Marshall E. Cornett, was killed when the small plane crashed in stormy weather near Dog Lake, Lake County, Ore., October 28, 1947 (age 52 years, 109 days). Interment at Belcrest Memorial Park, Salem, Ore.
  See also National Governors Association biography
  Robert S. Farrell Jr. (c.1906-1947) — of Portland, Multnomah County, Ore. Born about 1906. Republican. Delegate to Republican National Convention from Oregon, 1940, 1944; secretary of state of Oregon, 1943-47; died in office 1947. While flying to southern Oregon on a hunting trip, along with Gov. Earl Snell and State Senate President Marshall E. Cornett, was killed when the small plane crashed in stormy weather, near Dog Lake, Lake County, Ore., October 28, 1947 (age about 41 years). Interment at River View Cemetery, Portland, Ore.
  Marshall E. Cornett (c.1899-1947) — of Klamath Falls, Klamath County, Ore. Born about 1899. Republican. Alternate delegate to Republican National Convention from Oregon, 1944; member of Oregon state senate, 1947; died in office 1947. While flying to southern Oregon on a hunting trip, along with Gov. Earl Snell and Secretary of State Robert S. Farrell, Jr. was killed with the small plane crashed in stormy weather, near Dog Lake, Lake County, Ore., October 28, 1947 (age about 48 years). Burial location unknown.
  Elliot Woolfolk Major (1864-1949) — also known as Elliot W. Major — of Pike County, Mo.; St. Louis, Mo.; Clayton, St. Louis County, Mo. Born in Edgewood, Lincoln County, Mo., October 20, 1864. Democrat. Lawyer; member of Missouri state senate 11th District, 1897-1900; Missouri state attorney general, 1909-13; Governor of Missouri, 1913-17. Methodist. Member, American Bar Association; Freemasons. Died, from cardiac insufficiency due to chronic myocarditis and arteriosclerosis, aggravated by very hot and humid weather, in St. Joseph's Hill Infirmary, near Eureka, Jefferson County, Mo., July 9, 1949 (age 84 years, 262 days). Interment at Bowling Green City Cemetery, Bowling Green, Mo.
  Relatives: Son of James Reed Major and Sarah Taylor (Woolfolk) Major; married, June 14, 1887, to Elizabeth Myers; first cousin of Edgar Bailey Woolfolk; first cousin thrice removed of Zachary Taylor; first cousin five times removed of Edmund Pendleton; second cousin twice removed of Coleby Chew; second cousin thrice removed of James Madison and William Taylor Madison; second cousin four times removed of Richard Henry Lee, Francis Lightfoot Lee, Arthur Lee, John Penn, John Pendleton Jr. and Nathaniel Pendleton; second cousin five times removed of Peyton Randolph; third cousin twice removed of Thomas Leonidas Crittenden; third cousin thrice removed of Thomas Sim Lee, Henry Lee, Charles Lee, Edmund Jennings Lee, Philip Clayton Pendleton, Edmund Henry Pendleton and Nathanael Greene Pendleton; fourth cousin once removed of St. Clair Ballard and Lewis Ballard.
  Political families: Lee-Randolph family; Harrison-Randolph-Marshall-Cabell family of Virginia; Ballard-Gadsden-Randolph family of West Virginia and South Carolina; Pendleton-Lee family of Maryland (subsets of the Four Thousand Related Politicians).
  See also National Governors Association biography — Find-A-Grave memorial
  David Henry Crowley (1882-1951) — also known as David H. Crowley — of Cheboygan, Cheboygan County, Mich.; Detroit, Wayne County, Mich. Born in Leslie, Ingham County, Mich., September 5, 1882. Republican. Lawyer; Cheboygan County Prosecuting Attorney, 1909-12; member of University of Michigan board of regents, 1936-43; Michigan state attorney general, 1935-36; appointed 1935; defeated, 1936. Slipped and fell in icy conditions, and died about an hour later, in Detroit, Wayne County, Mich., December 21, 1951 (age 69 years, 107 days). Interment at White Chapel Memorial Park Cemetery, Troy, Mich.
  Relatives: Son of Daniel Crowley and Margaret Crowley; married, August 17, 1909, to Nina Cordelia Barrett.
  See also Find-A-Grave memorial
  Manuel Herrick (1876-1952) — also known as Emanuel Herrick — of Perry, Noble County, Okla.; Plumas County, Calif. Born in Perry Township, Tuscarawas County, Ohio, September 20, 1876. Republican. U.S. Representative from Oklahoma 8th District, 1921-23; defeated, 1918 (Independent), 1922 (primary), 1924 (primary), 1926 (primary), 1928 (primary), 1930 (primary); on August 6, 1930, he was caught by prohibition agents near Great Mills, Maryland, while filling and fueling an illegal still; he fled the scene, but was soon apprehended; he claimed he was an undercover agent, but that was not taken seriously; arraigned in federal court on charges of manufacturing and possessing alcohol; in October, 1930, he was tried and convicted; sentenced to six months in jail; candidate for U.S. Representative from California, 1948. While on a trip to his mining claim; he died, probably from exposure, during a Sierra blizzard, near Quincy, Plumas County, Calif., January 11, 1952 (age 75 years, 113 days). His body was found in a snowbank, six weeks later. Cremated; ashes interred at Quincy Cemetery, Quincy, Calif.
  Relatives: Son of John Herrick and Belinda (Kail) Herrick.
  See also congressional biography — Govtrack.us page — Wikipedia article — Find-A-Grave memorial — Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture
  Books about Manuel Herrick: Gene Aldrich, The Okie Jesus Congressman: the life of Manuel Herrick
  Robert Porter Patterson (1891-1952) — also known as Robert P. Patterson — of Cold Spring, Putnam County, N.Y. Born in Glens Falls, Warren County, N.Y., February 12, 1891. Lawyer; served in the U.S. Army during World War I; U.S. District Judge for the Southern District of New York, 1930-39; Judge of U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit, 1939-40; U.S. Secretary of War, 1945-47. Member, American Bar Association; American Academy of Arts and Sciences; Phi Beta Kappa; Phi Delta Theta; American Legion. Killed, along with 22 other passengers and crew, and seven people on the ground, in a plane crash during rain and heavy fog, in Elizabeth, Union County, N.J., January 22, 1952 (age 60 years, 344 days). Interment at Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Va.
  Relatives: Son of Charles R. Patterson and Lodice E. (Porter) Patterson; married, January 3, 1920, to Margaret T. Winchester.
  See also Wikipedia article — NNDB dossier — Find-A-Grave memorial — Arlington National Cemetery unofficial website
  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.
  Kimber Cornellus Sigler (1894-1953) — also known as Kim Sigler; "The White Knight" — of Hastings, Barry County, Mich.; Battle Creek, Calhoun County, Mich.; Lansing, Ingham County, Mich. Born in Schuyler, Colfax County, Neb., May 2, 1894. Democratic candidate for Michigan state attorney general, 1928; candidate in Republican primary for Michigan state senate 8th District, 1942; Governor of Michigan, 1947-48; defeated (Republican), 1948; delegate to Republican National Convention from Michigan, 1948. Member, Rotary. While flying his airplane on a foggy night, collided with a television broadcast tower; he and three passengers died in the crash, near Augusta, Kalamazoo County, Mich., November 30, 1953 (age 59 years, 212 days). Interment at Riverside Cemetery, Hastings, Mich.
  See also National Governors Association biography
  Harvey L. Schwamm (c.1905-1958) — of Manhattan, New York County, N.Y.; Riverdale, Bronx, Bronx County, N.Y. Born about 1905. Republican. Real estate broker; banker; candidate for New York state senate 15th District, 1938, 1940; alternate delegate to Republican National Convention from New York, 1940; major in the U.S. Army during World War II; candidate for Presidential Elector for New York. Jewish. Killed when a Northeast Airlines plane, landing in heavy fog, crashed and burned, about 300 yards short of the airport runway, in Nantucket, Nantucket County, Mass., August 15, 1958 (age about 53 years). Burial location unknown.
  Relatives: Married 1924 to Lillian Tverskoi.
  Gordon Evans Dean (1905-1958) — also known as Gordon E. Dean — Born in Seattle, King County, Wash., December 28, 1905. Newspaper reporter; lawyer; served in the U.S. Navy during World War II; law professor; member, U.S. Atomic Energy Commission, 1949-53; chair, U.S. Atomic Energy Commission, 1950-53. Killed when a Northeast Airlines plane, landing in heavy fog, crashed and burned, about 300 yards short of the airport runway, in Nantucket, Nantucket County, Mass., August 15, 1958 (age 52 years, 230 days). Interment at Fort Lincoln Cemetery, Brentwood, Md.
  Relatives: Son of Rev. John Marvin Dean; married 1930 to Adelaide Williamson; married, December 19, 1953, to Mary Benton Gore (first cousin once removed of Albert Arnold Gore; second cousin of Albert Arnold Gore Jr.).
  Political family: Gore family of Carthage, Tennessee.
  See also Wikipedia article — Find-A-Grave memorial
  Donald Grant Nutter (1915-1962) — also known as Donald G. Nutter — of Montana. Born November 28, 1915. Republican. Served in the U.S. Army Air Force in World War II; lawyer; Montana Republican state chair, 1958-60; Governor of Montana, 1961-62; died in office 1962. Flying from Helena to Cut Bank, he was killed, along with Edward C. Wren and four others, when the twin-engine C-47 plane crashed into a mountain and burned, during a snowstorm, near Wolf Creek, Lewis and Clark County, Mont., January 25, 1962 (age 46 years, 58 days). Interment at Sidney City Cemetery, Sidney, Mont.
  See also National Governors Association biography — NNDB dossier
Edward C. Wren Edward C. Wren (1918-1962) — of Cascade County, Mont. Born in Great Falls, Cascade County, Mont., September 28, 1918. Republican. Baking plant manager; colonel in the U.S. Army during World War II; rancher; candidate for Montana state house of representatives, 1954, 1956, 1958; Montana state agriculture commissioner, 1961-62. Member, Reserve Officers Association. Flying from Helena to Cut Bank, he was killed, along with Gov. Donald G. Nutter and four others, when the twin-engine C-47 plane crashed into a mountain and burned, during a snowstorm, near Wolf Creek, Lewis and Clark County, Mont., January 25, 1962 (age 43 years, 119 days). Interment at Mt. Olivet Cemetery, Great Falls, Mont.
  See also Find-A-Grave memorial
  Image source: Great Falls Tribune, January 26, 1962
  Walter Edwin Alessandroni (1914-1966) — also known as Walter E. Alessandroni — of Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, Pa.; Harrisburg, Dauphin County, Pa. Born in Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, Pa., December 27, 1914. Republican. Lawyer; served in the U.S. Marine Corps during World War II; U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, 1959-61; Pennsylvania state attorney general, 1963-66; delegate to Republican National Convention from Pennsylvania, 1964. Italian ancestry. Member, American Bar Association; American Judicature Society; American Legion. As a candidate for Lieutenant Governor, was flying to a planned campaign speech in a twin-engine Aztec plane, in rainy and snowy weather, when the plane crashed near Connellsville, Fayette County, Pa., May 8, 1966 (age 51 years, 132 days). Burial location unknown.
  Relatives: Son of Joseph Alessandroni and Sally Alessandroni; married 1935 to Ethel Decius.
  Richard H. Applebaum (1936-1969) — of St. John, St. Louis County, Mo. Born November 11, 1936. Democrat. Electrician; member of Missouri state house of representatives 34th District, 1969; died in office 1969. Killed in a car accident, in freezing mist, on U.S. Highway 54 in Callaway County, Mo., January 27, 1969 (age 32 years, 77 days). Burial location unknown.
  Dracos Alexander Dimitry Jr. (1922-1973) — also known as Drake Dimitry — of Royal Oak, Oakland County, Mich. Born in Missouri, November 24, 1922. Democrat. Served in the U.S. Army during World War II; owner of Heights Manufacturing Company, which built antenna towers; candidate for U.S. Representative from Michigan 13th District, 1956. Injured in an automobile collision on icy roads near Almont, Mich., and died soon after in Mt. Clemens, Macomb County, Mich., March 23, 1973 (age 50 years, 119 days). Interment at Woodlawn Cemetery, Detroit, Mich.
  Relatives: Son of Dracos Alexander Dimitry and Elizabeth Stanton (Bisland) Dimitry; second great-grandson and great-grandnephew of Alexander Dimitry; fourth great-grandson of John Smith; third cousin thrice removed of Howell Cobb, Henry Rootes Jackson and Thomas Reade Rootes Cobb.
  Political families: Pendleton-Lee family of Maryland; Jackson-Lee family; King family of Savannah, Georgia; Walker-Meriwether-Kellogg family of Virginia; Washington-Walker family of Virginia (subsets of the Four Thousand Related Politicians).
  See also Find-A-Grave memorial
  Virginia A. Kittell (1906-1978) — also known as Virginia Anna Harmon — of Bloomfield, San Juan County, N.M. Born in Putnam, Dewey County, Okla., January 30, 1906. Delegate to New Mexico state constitutional convention, 1969; mayor of Bloomfield, N.M., 1978; died in office 1978. Female. Severely injured in a one-car accident on U.S. 50, near Lakin, Kan., when her pickup truck flipped in high winds, and died a week later in Denver General Hospital, Denver, Colo., September 25, 1978 (age 72 years, 238 days). Entombed in mausoleum at Memory Gardens of Farmington, Farmington, N.M.
  Relatives: Daughter of Ira Harmon and Zetta (Kight) Harmon; married, August 11, 1928, to Arthur Callen Kittell, Jr. (son of Evert Harris Kittell); mother of Arthur Callen Kittell Jr.; third cousin of James Allen Rhodes.
  Political family: Kellogg-Adams-Seymour-Chapin family of Connecticut and New York (subset of the Four Thousand Related Politicians).
  See also Find-A-Grave memorial
  Ronald Harmon Brown (1941-1996) — also known as Ronald H. Brown; Ron Brown — of Washington, D.C. Born in Washington, D.C., August 1, 1941. Democrat. Lawyer; lobbyist; Chairman of Democratic National Committee, 1989-93; U.S. Secretary of Commerce, 1993-96; died in office 1996. African ancestry. Member, Urban League. Killed in a plane crash, during a storm, in Croatia, April 3, 1996 (age 54 years, 246 days). Interment at Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Va.
  The Ron Brown Middle School (now the Ron Brown College Preparatory High School), in Washington, D.C., is named for him.
  See also Wikipedia article — NNDB dossier
  Critical books about Ronald Brown: Jack Cashill, Ron Brown's Body : How One Man's Death Saved the Clinton Presidency and Hillary's Future
  Thomas Euclid Rains, Sr. (c.1921-2000) — also known as T. Euclid Rains — of Alabama. Born about 1921. Broom manufacturer; member of Alabama state house of representatives 26th District, 1979-91. Methodist. Member, Lions. Became blind when he lost both eyes in an accident with a pair scissors as a boy. He was the only totally blind baseball coach in Little League history. Killed in an automobile accident, when the car in which he was a passenger went off a bridge in heavy rain, near Geraldine, Marshall County, Ala., August 27, 2000 (age about 79 years). Interment at Asbury Methodist Church Cemetery, Near Albertville, Marshall County, Ala.
Daniel M. Hansen Daniel McGavin Hansen (1942-2002) — also known as Daniel M. Hansen; Dan Hansen — of Nevada. Born in Reno, Washoe County, Nev., January 10, 1942. Motel manager; roofing business; Independent American candidate for Governor of Nevada, 1970, 1994; Independent American candidate for U.S. Representative from Nevada 2nd District, 1992, 1996, 2000; Independent American candidate for Lieutenant Governor of Nevada, 1998. Mormon. Member, John Birch Society. While driving on Interstate 80 in icy conditions, his car skidded into the median and overturned several times; he was thrown from the car and killed, near Winnemucca, Humboldt County, Nev., January 22, 2002 (age 60 years, 12 days). He would have survived the crash if he had worn a seat belt; family members later said Hansen "would have been willing to wear a seat belt if the government did not try to mandate it.". Interment at Mountain View Cemetery, Reno, Nev.
  Relatives: Son of Oliver Frederick Hansen and Ruth (Holloman) Hansen; brother of Joel F. Hansen, Janine Hansen and Christopher H. Hansen; married 2000 to Luz Helena Salgado; father of Ira Daniel Hansen (who married Alexis M. Lloyd); uncle of Zachary Triggs, Jonathan Hansen, Joshua Hansen and Nicholas Hansen; first cousin of Mark Alan Holloman.
  Political family: Hansen family of Nevada.
  Epitaph: "Our Beloved Papa Dan / Service to God - Family - Country."
  See also Find-A-Grave memorial — OurCampaigns candidate detail — Encyclopedia of American Loons
  Image source: Reno Gazette-Journal, October 1, 2006
"Enjoy the hospitable entertainment of a political graveyard."
Henry L. Clinton, Apollo Hall, New York City, February 3, 1872
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.
 
  The coverage of this site includes (1) the President, Vice President, members of Congress, elected state and territorial officeholders in all fifty states, the District of Columbia, and U.S. territories; and the chief elected official, typically the mayor, of qualifying municipalities; (2) candidates at election, including primaries, for any of the above; (3) all federal judges and all state appellate judges; (4) certain federal officials, including the federal cabinet, diplomatic chiefs of mission, consuls, U.S. district attorneys, collectors of customs and internal revenue, members of major federal commissions; and political appointee (pre-1969) postmasters of qualifying communities; (5) state and national political party officials, including delegates, alternate delegates, and other participants in national party nominating conventions; (6) Americans who served as "honorary" consuls for other nations before 1950. Note: municipalities or communities "qualify", for Political Graveyard purposes, if they have at least half a million person-years of history, inclusive of predecessor, successor, and merged entities.  
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