The Grand Army of the Republic was a fraternal organization of honorably discharged veterans of the Union Army, Navy, Marine Corps, and Revenue Cutter Service who served in the American Civil War. Founded in 1866, it grew to include about 400,000 men and aimed to link them through their experiences in the war. It offered camaraderie and became one of America’s first political advocacy groups, supporting voting rights for black veterans, lobbying the U.S. Congress to establish veterans’ pensions, and seeking support for widows and orphans. The organization also helped establish the early Decoration Day, now known as Memorial Day. The local Redwood City Post was founded in 1886 and bought a plot of land at the tip of Union Cemetery in 1887. Veterans buried there came to California after the Civil War, and most were residents of early Redwood City. The organization was dissolved in 1956 when its last member died at 105 years old. Some funds for the original Union Soldier statue were donated by Mrs. Leland Stanford, and although it was damaged over the years, it appears as it did when placed there in 1889.