| Interment Location | Visited | Sequence in Graves I Have Visited |
|---|---|---|
| New York, NY | May 14, 2011 | 30th Vice President visited |
Only one U.S. vice president is interred in New York City. That distinction is held by James Monroe’s VP, Daniel D. Tompkins, who is entombed at St. Mark’s Church-in-the-Bowery in the borough of Manhattan. The Episcopal parish is located at the intersection of E 11th Street and 2nd Avenue.
The vice president is interred within the vault of his in-laws, the Minthorne family, in the church’s brick courtyard. I took this aerial photograph of Tompkins’ gravesite from the house of worship’s second floor.
Elected at age 42, Tompkins was the youngest vice president in U.S. history until 36-year-old John C. Breckinridge took the oath of office in 1857. He is now the fifth-youngest after Breckinridge, Richard Nixon, Dan Quayle, and Theodore Roosevelt. Tompkins still holds some records, though they are unenviable: his death at age 50 makes him the shortest-lived VP, and his 99 day post-vice presidency is also unmatched.
Tompkins was one of two vice presidents whose interment sites I visited for the first time in 2011. The other was Elbridge Gerry, Tompkins’ immediate predecessor who died in office in 1814.
This square plaque displays a transcription of the less legible epitaph on the neighboring Minthorne vault slab. Only Vice President Tompkins and his father-in-law, Mangle Minthorne, are mentioned. Second Lady Hannah Minthorne Tompkins is reportedly laid to rest there as well, despite her ommission.
Fast Facts
Born: June 21, 1774 in Scarsdale, New York
Spouse: Hannah Minthorne Tompkins (m. 1798-1825)
Political Affiliation: Democratic-Republican Party
Gubernatorial Tenure: 1807-1817
Vice Presidential Tenure: 1817-1825 under James Monroe
Died: June 11, 1825 in Castleton, New York
Age: 50
Interment: St. Mark’s Church-in-the-Bowery, New York, New York
"Who was the first president of the United States? George Washington. Who was the vice president under John Quincy Adams? Daniel D. Tompkins, and I'll bet your Mr. Sawyer doesn't know that. Good night."
- Edmund Gwenn as Kris Kringle
incorrectly answering with Tompkins instead of John C. Calhoun due to a screenplay error in the 1947 film, Miracle on 34th Street
Sources Consulted and Further Reading
Under Construction
