Erik Visits an American Grave, Part 161
By This is the grave of Uriah Tracy.
Born in Franklin, Connecticut in 1755, Tracy graduated from Yale in 1778 and was admitted to the bar in 1781. He got involved in politics and was in the Connecticut legislature 1788-93. As the First Party System developed, Tracy became a strong Federalist and was elected to Congress, serving from 1793-96. In the fall of 1796, Jonathan Trumbull resigned from the Senate and the Connecticut legislature selected Tracy to replace him. He would stay in the Senate the rest of his life. He remained a strongly anti-Jeffersonian politician, authoring screeds against French influence in America. What he’s most known for in his time in the Senate was heading a group who wanted to explore secession from the Union after Jefferson made the Louisiana Purchase, fearing the decline of New England’s influence on the nation. In 1803, he also formed a committee to consider impeaching a federal judge and in doing so, set up the rules for impeachment proceedings. Like most Federalists, he supported a strong central government and pushed for a national road, among other transportation and infrastructure projects. His work on this helped lead to the National Road crossing Pennsylvania, even if that was not his preferred route. He died in 1807 in Washington.
Uriah Tracy is buried at Congressional Cemetery, Washington, D.C. In fact, he was the first member of Congress buried there.