Remains of the Day

Every grave sells a story and in Washington, DC, the stories are monumental.

From Civil War generals to queer activists, infamous socialites to pioneering inventors, the historic cemeteries of Washington, DC are home to the colorful lives—and complicated legacies—of the people who shaped the nation’s capital. In Remains of the Day, former CIA officer turned historian John C. Kiriakou takes readers on a compelling and unconventional tour through the burial grounds of the District, revealing fascinating biographical sketches and forgotten chapters of American history.

With rich detail and wry insight, Kiriakou explores the architecture, symbolism, and secret histories hidden among tombstones, mausoleums, and cenotaphs. Whether it’s the grave of a disgraced French prime minister, the final resting place of Robert F. Kennedy’s campaign manager, or the haunting epitaph of a defiant LGBTQ veteran, these pages chronicle a city of the dead that tells us more about the living than any official monument.

Part guidebook, part biography, and part social history, Remains of the Day is an unforgettable celebration of the people—famous and obscure, beloved and reviled—who made Washington what it is today. Essential for history buffs, tourists, genealogists, and anyone who’s ever wandered a cemetery and wondered, “What happened here?”