Stephen A. Douglas died June 7, 1861, and was buried near his Chicago cottage. Friends soon organized the Douglas Monument Association to construct a suitable tomb near the site. Work on the monument, designed by Leonard W. Volk, began in 1866, and two years later Douglas's remains were transferred from their temporary grave. Lack of funds caused construction to lag until an 1877 appropriation by the Illinois legislature revived the project. The column was raised in 1878 and topped by Volk's nine-foot statue of Douglas. Finishing touches came in 1881. Today, the senator's body rests in the sarcophagus of Vermont marble inscribed with his last words, "Tell my children to obey the laws and uphold the Constitution."
