Grant's Tomb 1897

The final resting place of President Ulysses Simpson Grant and his wife, Julia, is the largest mausoleum in North America. It testifies to a people’s gratitude for the man who ended the bloodiest conflict in American history as Commanding General of the Union Army and then, as President of the United States, strove to heal a nation after a civil war and make rights for all citizens a reality.

After Grant’s death in 1885, the Mayor of New York wrote a letter to the citizens of the city in order to gather support for the construction and placement of his tomb. After gaining support from New Yorkers, the piece was designed by architect John Hemenway Duncan, who won the commission after entering a design competition. After nearly 7 years of construction, the memorial was dedicated on April 27, 1897, on what would have been Grant’s 75th birthday.

– Edited from National Park Service