Founded in 1844, the Albany Rural Cemetery is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. I don’t normally seek out cemeteries, but this is the second major rural cemetery I’ve visited in the last month or so.
President Chester Arthur is the most famous resident. New Jersey governor and U.S. Supreme Court justice William Paterson (namesake of the university in New Jersey) is also buried here.
Albany Rural Cemetery, Menands, New York.Tomb of President Chester A. Arthur. Arthur benefited from political patronage and machine politics, but when he became president after the assassination of James Garfield, he threw his support behind the civil service reform movement. The 1883 Pendleton Act would lead to civil service jobs being awarded based on merit, not personal connections.
Burial place of William Paterson, signer of the U.S. Constitution, Governor of New Jersey, and U.S. Supreme Court Justice. William Paterson University is named after him. His daughter, Cornelia, married one of the many Stephen Van Rensselaers, and Paterson is buried with them here.
