Vice Presidents 2

As I was nearing completion of visiting all of the gravesite of the Presidents, collecting the Vice Presidents became more and more important. On the trip that I would complete my primary goal to get all of the Presidents, I was able to add 5 more VP's to my collection, 6 if you count  Theodore Roosevelt.

#3 Aaron Burr (1756-1836)

                                        Vice President under Thomas Jefferson from 1801 - 1805
                                                     
  The first VP of the trip immediatly followed the final Presidential gravesite of my collection. The President was Grover Cleveland, the VP was Aaron Burr, and the place was Princeton Cemetery in Princeton, NJ.


  Burr is probably the most famous (or infamous) VP that I saw on this trip. He actually became very close to becoming President himself. In the Presidential election of 1800 Aaron Burr tied electorial votes with Thomas Jefferson, both with 73. The election then went to the House of Represenatives and it took 36 ballots before Jefferson would be declared the winner.

  Burr is most known for the duel that he had with Alexander Hamilton in 1804, in which he killed Hamilton. This would be the only time that a sitting Vice President would shoot someone, until Dick Cheney accidentally shot one of his friends while hunting.

My nephew Chris, and my daughter Khloe join me for a photo opp at Aaron Burr's gravesite in Princeton Cemetery Princeton, NJ

A more modern marker at Burr's gravesite



#24 Garrett Hobart (1844-1899)

                                    Vice President under William McKinley from 1897 - 1899

  Later that afternoon we stopped at Cedar Lawn Cemetery in Paterson, NJ to visit the gravesite of VP Garrett Hobart. And we were also able to meet up with Frank McGady, one of my Presidential sites and gravehunting friends that I met online.

  Hobart served in the New Jersey General Assembly and New Jersey State Senate before William McKinley picked him as his running mate in the Presidential Election of 1896. New Jersey was an important key state that year.
 
   Hobart died in office in 1899 of heart disease at the age of 55. As Frank pointed out, Hobart is the closest that New Jersey has come to having their own President. Had Hobart lived a few more years he probably would of remained McKinley's running mate in the Presidential Election of 1900. When McKinley is assassinated in 1901, Hobart would of become President.

  Although Grover Cleveland was born and is buried in New Jersey, he spent most of his life in Buffalo, NY. So most consider him a New York President.

Garrett Hobart Tomb, Cedar Lawn Cemetery, Paterson, NJ

Inside the Tomb

Me at VP Hobarts Tomb. Paterson, NJ

#11 George Mifflin Dallas (1792-1864)

                                     Vice President under James K. Polk from 1845 - 1849


  The 3rd Vice President of the trip came 2 days later on Wednesday, my Valley Forge and Philidelphia day. I had planned to get VP Dallas earlier in the morning since he is buried just a few blocks from Independence Hall. But time was much tighter then expected and we didn't make it there. But later that afternoon we were heading back to the area to get some Phili Cheesesteaks at both Pat's and Geno's. As we drove I realized we would pass the block that Dallas is buried on. So I went ahead and turned on the street. I slowly drove and found the cemetery easily, but no parking. I ended up circeling the block. On the second try I took desperate measures. I parked illegally as my nephew and I hopped out and ran inside. The cemetery was bigger then expected. But I remember seeing pictures of the gravesite with a brick wall behind it. So I took a left and followed the perimider of the Church. Luckily as I turned the corner of the Church, there he was. I quickly took a picture of the gravestone. Then I got a picture of my nephew with it, then he got a picture of me with it. Then we hurried to the van before anyone noticed that I was parked in a no parking zone.

  Dallas was a U. S. Senator, Mayor of Philidelphia, and diplomat to Russia under Martin Van Buren before he was picked as James K. Polk's running mate the Presidential Election of 1844. After his term as VP he went on to serve as a Minister to England during the Pierce, Buchanan and Lincoln administrations. Also the city of Dallas, Texas is named after him.

George Mifflin Dallas gravesite, St. Peter's Episcopal Churchyard Philidelphia, PA

VP Dallas and I Philidelphia, PA

#4 George Clinton (1739-1812)

                                   Vice President under Thomas Jefferson from 1805 - 1809
                                                                         and
                                     Vice President under James Madison from 1809 - 1812

  The very next day after Philidelphia we were able to pick up 2 more VP's. The first was that of George Clinton in Kingston, NY

  Clinton was a veteran of the French and Indian War, and later an enthusiastic supporter of the American Revolution. He would become the First Governor of New York State before becoming Vice President. He is one of only 2 VP's to serve as Vice President under 2 different Presidents. The other one being John C. Calhoun, who served as Vice President under both John Quincy Adams and Andrew Jackson.

  Clinton would become the first Vice President to die in office in 1812.

Vice President George Clinton's gravesite, Old Dutch Churchyard Kingston, NY

Plaque on Clintons gravesite.

VP George Clinton and I. Kingston, NY

#22 Levi Morton (1824-1920)

                                  Vice President under Benjamin Harrison from 1889 - 1893


          We left Kingston and VP Clinton, took a short drive across the Hudson River and before we knew it we were in Rhinebeck Cemetery in Rhinebeck, NY to see the grave of VP Levi Morton.

   Morton served as a Congressman from New York and Minister to France before becoming Vice President. After his Vice Presidency he went on to be Governor of New York. He was the second longest living VP next to John Nance Garner. He died on his 96th birthday in 1920 after outliving 5 of his VP successors.

Levi Morton gravesite, Rhinebeck Cemetery Rhinebeck, NY

Vice President Levi Morton and I. Rhinbeck, NY.

   Well that does it for now. At this point I have no idea when or where my next big trip will be. I have alot of ideas, but it will probably be a year or so before I do anything to big. But, you never know what may come up. I have 13 more Vice Presidential gravesites to see. And they are scattered all over. From Maine to Texas, from Minnesota to South Carolina, from New York to Alabama. I hope to get them all someday. In time, I'm sure I will.