John G. Eaton, Jr. was a Union army chaplain who was appointed the superintendent of freedman during the Civil War. In his role he came to known Douglass and heard him speak on occasion. He passed along some of Douglass’ thoughts to President Lincoln, motivating Lincoln to invite the noted orator to the White House.
“After leaving the White House, Douglass returned to the home of a black friend with whom he stayed while in Washington. Eaton met him there and found the black leader pacing in a parlor in ‘a state of extreme agitation.’ Douglass was both thrilled and troubled.”[1]
John G. Eaton, Jr. died on February 9, 1906 at the age of 76. He was buried in Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia.
Exact Grave GPS coordinates: 38.880304, -77.072146
[1] David W. Blight, Frederick Douglass: Prophet of Freedom (New York: Simon & Schuster, 2018), 437.
The Graves of Frederick Douglass 