Passed Vice Presidents - # 6 – Daniel Tompkins

Grave of Daniel Tompkins

(copied from the ‘Find a Grave’ web site)

Served under James Monroe

4 March 1817 – 4 March 1825

Preceded by # 5 – Elbridge Gerry

Succeeded by # 7 – John C. Calhoun

Born – 21 June 1774

Died – 11 June 1825 (age 50)

Buried – St. Mark’s Church in-the-Bowery, New York, NY

Date Visited – 13 December 2021

I like to consider Daniel Tompkins a second generation ‘Founding Father.’ There were ‘Second Team’ Founding Fathers like George Clinton who played important roles securing our nation’s independence...just not up there with Washington, Jefferson, Hamilton and company. Daniel Tompkins lived through the Revolution, but was just a kid. He experienced it and then as an adult, played leadership roles that ensured the new nation survived.

St. Mark’s Church in-the-Bowery (13 December 2021)

(Unfortunately, late afternoon on a sunny day is not a good time

to photograph a scene that is half too bright and half too dark)

Saint Mark’s Church in-the-Bowery has been the site of continuous Christian worship since 1651 when Peter Stuyvesant, then the Director General of the Dutch colony, purchased land to create a small farm (bowery) that included a chapel where he was eventually buried in 1672, after the colony was taken over by England.

Born and raised in the New York Colony, Tompkins was elected governor of the State of New York four times before serving two full terms as vice president under James Monroe. It would be almost a hundred years before another man served two terms, when Woodrow Wilson’s running mate, Thomas Marshall did it. Tompkins also spent time as Associate Justice on the New York State Supreme Court.

Tompkins endorsed efforts to help the poor and down-trodden. He opposed the death penalty and was behind early initiatives to establish a statewide education system that reached down to the town and district levels. During the War of 1812, with Canada across the border and British infiltrating the western territories, Governor Tompkins was one of the heroes of the conflict. He raised a militia and was appointed to run the federal military district of southern New York, where he used his own money to back defense loans. He also supported the rights of the Iroquois Tribe to their lands and properties...to no avail. We needed them as allies against England.

Memorial Bust to Daniel Tompkins,

St. Mark’s Church in-the-Bowery,

New York City (13 December 2021)

The plaque below the bust states in part,

“Governor Tompkins sustained the credit of the 

United States government,

with his personal funds, at a time when the 

banks of New York refused to

loan to the government on its notes, 

without his endorsement....

Daniel D. Tompkins held not only the 

office of Governor of the state,

but was Paymaster, Quartermaster, 

Commissary, and General

Distributing Agent for the State of 

New York and the United States.”

Like I said...busy guy.

In December 2021, we visited New York City…to noodle around Manhattan in all its Christmas finery. That visit included the 9-11 National Museum that was presented on the 2022 anniversary. How could I not visit this grave since it is just a couple of subway stops away?

I arrived late in the afternoon. The church grounds are surrounded by a substantial fence which was lined with Christmas trees for sale, but the front gate was open. No sooner do I take the picture of the Tompkins bust and memorial plaque than a caretaker informs me that he has to lock up the premises. This means that while I was able to lean over a fence to see WHERE Tompkins is interred, I actually could not get close enough to photograph his grave (actually his wife’s family vault). Thus, the picture above is someone else’s effort...but # 6 is checked off the list as far as I’m concerned.

Portion of the church yard, St. Mark’s Church in-the-Bowery (13 December 2021)

This was as close as I could get. The Tompkins vault is the white

Slab on the far left...close to that attractive traffic cone.

Daniel Tompkins died at age 50, three months after leaving office in what remains the shortest retirement period of any vice president. The last decade of his life was difficult. He spent many years litigating to recover personal funds spent on the war effort. After he was thrown from his horse in 1814, injuries and health issues are said to have contributed to poor judgement and alcoholism. This affected his performance as vice president and shortened his life.

Bust of Daniel Tompkins,

St. Mark’s Church in-the-Bowery,

New York (13 December 2021)