Elihu Benjamin Washburne Obelisk - Galena, Illinois - Obelisks on Waymarking.com

This is the tallest object in Greenwood Cemetery. It is a 30 foot tall, unlighted, grey granite obelisk marking the burial site of Elihu Benjamin Washburne. Elihu Washburne was a major reason why Ulysses Grant got his first command with the 21st Illinois early in the Civil War and started on the road to fame. Mr. Washburne also helped start the Republican Party and was the U.S. Minister to France during the Franco-Prussian War - he helped save countless lives while in that position. He was definitely a mover and shaker of Illinois and U.S. politics in the mid to late 19th century and amassed enough fortune to have this impressive monument after his death.

- Obelisk Text

Elihu Benjamin Washburne (September 23, 1816 – October 23, 1887) was an American politician and diplomat. A member of the Washburn family, which played a prominent role in the early formation of the United States Republican Party, he served as a congressman from Illinois before and during the American Civil War. He was a political ally of President Abraham Lincoln and General (later President) Ulysses S. Grant. During Grant's administration, Washburne was the 25th United States Secretary of State, briefly in 1869, and was the United States Minister to France from 1869 to 1877.

In his youth, when his family became destitute, Washburne left home in Maine at the age of 14, to support himself and further his education. After working for newspapers in Maine and studying law, Washburne passed the bar and moved to Galena, Illinois, where he became a partner in a successful law firm. Washburne was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1852 and served from 1853 to 1869, which included the American Civil War and the first part of Reconstruction. While advocating Lincoln's war policy, Washburne sponsored an up-and-coming Grant; they were acquainted because Grant had moved to Galena shortly before the war to work in his father's leather goods business. Washburne advocated for Grant's promotions in the Union Army, and protected him from critics in Washington and in the field. Washburne was Grant's advocate in Congress throughout the war, and their friendship and association lasted through Grant's two terms as president.

As a leader of the Radical Republicans, Washburne opposed the Reconstruction policies of President Andrew Johnson and supported African American suffrage and civil rights. Washburne was appointed United States Secretary of State in 1869 by President Grant, out of respect for his championship of Grant's career during the Civil War, and to give Washburne diplomatic clout after being appointed minister to France. Washburne's tenure as Secretary of State lasted for only eleven days, but he served in France for eight years, where he became known for diplomatic integrity and his humanitarian support of Americans, other neutrals, and Germans in France during the Franco-Prussian War. For his efforts, he received formal praise from governments in both France and Germany. Washburne's friendship with Grant ended after the contentious 1880 Republican convention, when Washburne was a candidate for president. He did not garner wide support, but Grant had been the front runner for an unprecedented third term, and was disappointed when the party eventually turned to dark horse James A. Garfield. In retirement, Washburne published a biography of anti-slavery politician Edward Coles, and a memoir of his own diplomatic career in France. On October 23, 1887 Washburne died of a heart attack in Chicago.

- Elihu Benjamin Washburne's Wikipedia page

Date Created/Placed: 1888 Address: Greenwood Cemetery US20 and Gear Street Galena, Illinois 61036 Height: 30 feet Illuminated: no Website: Not listed

Visit Instructions:
Give a narrative of your experience. What did you think of the obelisk? Did you learn anything? Photos are always welcome too. Please no virtual visits.

Recent Visits/Logs:

There are no logs for this waymark yet.