Day Adams Collapsed in the House

This blog post is about a shocking moment in time, an event for those who experienced it that must have remained with them for years to come. The story is so moving that today a plaque marks the spot where it occurred, the location noted by each tour guide as they lead visitors through the old House chamber in the United States Capitol. We are referring to February 21, 1848, when in the midst of debate on the floor of the House of Representatives, John Quincy Adams suffered a stroke and collapsed. His colleagues carefully moved him to the nearby Speaker's room, where he remained for two days, passing away in the early evening hours of February 23. Three days later, the former United States Senator, Secretary of State, President of the United States, and nine-term member of the House was honored with a state funeral and temporarily buried in Congressional Cemetery, then serving as the national burial ground.