John Weeks and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery
- Laura Bruckmann
- May 27
- 5 min read
Updated: Jun 4
As we celebrate Memorial Day, visiting Arlington Cemetery may be at the top of your list. One of the highlights of the cemetery is the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. The Tomb symbolically commemorates all America's missing heroes, particularly WWI, WWII, and the Korean War. Every hour on the hour there is a Changing of the Guard Ceremony, giving reverence to the men represented there.
Although it is such an essential part of the cemetery, many don’t know that it was not always there. Several men were involved in establishing the Tomb, but the manager behind the project was John Weeks. While Secretary of War, he facilitated the creation and oversaw operations of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington Cemetery. Weeks was pivotal in managing the construction and interment of the soldiers, choosing to lay them to rest on Armistice Day (a.k.a. Veterans Day). Let’s explore the story of a man who made a lasting impact on Arlington Cemetery.
Who is John Weeks
Today, the name John Weeks means little to most people, but one hundred years ago, he was considered one of the more important people in the country.
Born in Lancaster, New Hampshire, he was from old New England stock. He attended the United States Naval Academy and graduated in 1881. After serving two years in the Navy, he chose to pursue a career in civil engineering and surveying. He began his civilian career in Orlando, FL where he served as the first fire chief of the Orlando Fire Dept until 1888.
By 1888 he formed the financial firm Hornblower & Weeks and began to take an active role in the local political scene. The firm was increasingly successful and the partners purchased a seat on the New York Stock Exchange and expanded to major cities around the country. The company flourished into the late 1970s, participating in several mergers. Eventually Week’s name was removed from the company. Finally, in 1979, the Hornblower name was also removed after a merger and the company ceased to exist.
Despite his business success, his military career was not forgotten. When the Spanish-American War broke out, he returned to the Navy as a volunteer at the rank of Lieutenant. Like Teddy Roosevelt, this was an unusual gesture from the upper class. Weeks was both old enough and wealthy enough to avoid service and yet chose to return to his military roots. After the war, he remained a part of the Massachusetts regiment, similar to the Reserves, and retired as a rear admiral in 1900.
Upon his return from the war, Weeks became more interested in local politics. From 1905-1913, he served as a Representative from Massachusetts in the U.S. House of Representatives. He then entered the U.S. Senate where he served one term, losing his bid for reelection in 1918.
While in Congress, Weeks was best known for two legislative efforts. First, he became a member of the House Banking and Currency Committee whose work led to the establishment of the Federal Reserve System in 1914. Secondly, he was behind the Weeks Act which was passed and signed by President Taft to create a National Forest system. The policies established in this legislation continue to provide for our national forests today.
The loss of his second Senate campaign did not dampen his political ambitions. Weeks remained active in the Republican Party on the national stage. His interest paid off. Warren G. Harding became the nominee and eventual winner of the election of 1920. He remembered Weeks and offered him a position in the Harding cabinet; a dubious honor.
Origins of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier
At the end of his career, Weeks served as Secretary of War to President Warren G. Harding and remained in the position when Calvin Coolidge assumed the Presidency. Among the duties of the Secretary of War, he supervised operations at Arlington National Cemetery. It was during his tenure that Arlington Cemetery created the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and interred the first soldier.
The story behind the establishment of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is a fascinating one. While American families had the option to repatriate the remains of their service members, many service members had not been nor could be identified. In previous wars, men had fought alongside family, friends and neighbors, but modern military units were not built on these relationships. Modern warfare was also increasingly destructive making it more difficult to identify remains. Given these challenges to repatriation, it was proposed that the United States should create a resting place for a representative Unknown Soldier similar to those recently designed in Europe.
After World War I, both England and France faced a similar problem and devised a compromise for families of soldiers lost overseas. They returned one unknown soldier to the home country and laid him to rest. That tomb was for all families to come and pay their respects to those they had lost. The English unknown is buried at Westminster Abbey and the French at the Arc de Triumph. Both nations buried their unknown on Armistice Day, November 11, 1920.
As planning for the American internment developed, many believed that the Unknown Soldier should be laid to rest on Memorial Day, an existing federal holiday that was already a part of Arlington Cemetery’s regular services. John Weeks believed that the soldier should be interred on Armistice Day, just as the French and English soldiers had. The World War I unknown soldier was formally laid to rest at the Tomb of Unknown Soldier on November 11, 1921.
John Weeks laid to rest in Arlington
The story of John Weeks came to a peaceful end. Weeks resigned his position as Secretary of War near the end of 1925 and died several months later in July 1926. He is buried at Arlington National Cemetery in a prominent location in Section 5. The large bench memorial with his name engraved is between the Kennedy gravesite and graves for many of the Supreme Court justices. He is interred with his wife Martha and his daughter and her military veteran husband are buried behind the larger memorial.
It's time to visit Arlington National Cemetery
To see the memorial to John W. Weeks and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, tour Arlington Cemetery with us! A walking tour of the cemetery allows you to learn the stories of our nation’s heroes, the history of the site, and how it is used and managed today. The opportunity to ask questions and enjoy the knowledge of experience guides will make your visit to Arlington unforgettable.
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