| Interment Location | Visited | Sequence in Graves I Have Visited |
|---|---|---|
| Indianapolis, IN | August 20, 2004 | 8th Vice President visited |
Though he famously quipped that what the country needed was a really good five-cent cigar, Vice President Thomas R. Marshall is not buried in a thrifty grave plot. In 1927, three years after his death, construction began on a stately mausoleum to hold his remains, as well as those of his adopted son, Morrison. Upon its completion, the Marshalls were exhumed from the Estates of Serenity in Marion, Indiana, and interred in Indianapolis. Second Lady Lois Marshall was laid to rest alongside them after her passing from cerebral thrombosis in 1958. The tomb is in located at Crown Hill Cemetery, where VP Marshall’s predecessors Thomas A. Hendricks and Charles Fairbanks also rest.
The Marshall gravesite is situated on a traffic island in Section 72. The mausoleum was restored in 2020, more than a decade and a half after these images were taken of me clutching the handles of the locked doors. The restoration was made possible by a donation from the Whitley County Historical Society, whose museum occupies the VP’s old house in Columbia City, Indiana — a 117-mile drive from Crown Hill Cemetery.
Fast Facts
Born: March 14, 1854 in North Manchester, Indiana
Spouse: Lois Irene Kimsey Marshall (m. 1895-1925)
Political Affiliation: Democratic Party
Gubernatorial Tenure: 1909-1913
Vice Presidential Tenure: 1913-1921 under Woodrow Wilson
Died: June 1, 1925 in Washington, D.C.
Cause of Death: Heart Attack
Age: 71
Interment: Crown Hill Cemetery, Indianapolis, Indiana
"What this country needs is a really good five-cent cigar."
- Thomas Riley Marshall
1914 in comments made while presiding over the U.S. Senate in response to a speech by Senator Joseph L. Bristow
Sources Consulted and Further Reading
Crown Hill Heritage Foundation. “Thomas R. Marshall Mausoleum.” Accessed January 30, 2022. https://crownhillhf.org/preservation/thomas-r-marshall-mausoleum/.
