| Interment Location | Visited | Sequence in Graves I Have Visited |
|---|---|---|
| South Bend, IN | April 20, 2010 | 2nd House Speaker visited; 20th Vice President visited |
Schuyler Colfax was speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives during portions of crucial consecutive periods in American history: the Civil War and Reconstruction. During his time in House leadership, Congress passed the three Reconstruction amendments, including the Thirteenth, which abolished chattel slavery. Colfax is buried at City Cemetery in South Bend, Indiana, just a few miles from Notre Dame University. His grave is marked by the white monument in the center of this image, next to the left gate.
A closer view of the Colfax plot. His was my second vice presidential gravesite of the day, following a visit to Gerald Ford at his museum in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Colfax was the second House speaker — after James K. Polk — to be elected on a national ticket. He was the first to become vice president, however. Colfax was also the premiere VP from the Hoosier State.
Colfax was the first vice president under Ulysses S. Grant. He was defeated in a bid to be Grant’s running mate again in 1872, losing out at the Republican National Convention to Senator Henry Wilson of Massachusetts.
I was fond of the angelic statuette atop Colfax’s monument, which departed its perch sometime between 2013 and 2016. I am not sure if this was because of natural occurrences or human action. Regardless, I read years ago that the cemetery had no plans on replacing the figure because it was not actually original to the grave. However, the Schuyler Colfax Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution did have intentions to replace an obelisk they believed once capped the monument.
Fast Facts
Born: March 23, 1823 in New York, New York
Spouses: Evelyn Clark Colfax (m. 1844-1863); Ellen Maria Wade Colfax (m. 1868-1885)
Political Affiliation: Republican Party
House Tenure: 1855-1869
House Speaker Tenure: 1863-1869
Vice Presidential Tenure: 1869-1873 under Ulysses S. Grant
Died: January 13, 1885 in Mankato, Minnesota
Cause of Death: Heart Attack
Age: 61
Interment: City Cemetery, South Bend, Indiana
“Loyal men shall govern a preserved Republic.”
- Schuyler Colfax
May 2, 1866 in a speech delivered in Huntingdon, Pennsylvania
Sources Consulted and Further Reading
Blasko, Erin. “A matter of grave concern.” South Bend Tribune. July 14, 2013. https://www.southbendtribune.com/story/news/local/2013/07/14/a-matter-of-grave-concer/46599329/.
History Engine. “Indiana Public Serenaded Schulyer Colfax into Speech.” Accessed January 23, 2022. https://historyengine.richmond.edu/episodes/view/5791.
Schuyler Colfax Chapter South Bend, Indiana, National Society Daughters of the American Revolution. “Schuyler Colfax Tombstone Restoration Project.” Accessed January 23, 2022. https://sites.rootsweb.com/~insccdar/tombstonerestoration.html.