Famous Memorials
There are so many people, events and organizations represented at Lakewood that have made a difference in the Minneapolis community. Some are known locally, while others are nationally recognized. Here are just a few of the individuals who are laid to rest at Lakewood. To learn more about people at Lakewood, follow along on our Facebook and Instagram pages.
Political Leaders
- Hubert H. Humphrey – Minneapolis mayor, U.S. Senator and Vice President of the United States
- Lena Olive Smith (1885-1966) – civil rights advocate and first Black woman licensed to practice law in Minnesota
- Paul Wellstone (1944-2002) – popular U.S. Senator from 1991 until his death in 2002
- Floyd B. Olson (1891 – 1936)– Minnesota’s first Farmer-Labor governor
- Abram M. Fridley (1817-1888) – Minnesota State Representative; Fridley, Minnesota, is named in his honor
- Emily O. Goodridge and Ralph Grey (1834-1916, 1830-1904) – early Black pioneers on the Minnesota frontier
- Dr. B. Robert Lewis (1931-1979) – Minnesota’s first black state senator
- John Lind (1854-1930) – Minnesota governor
- Charlotte Van Cleve (1819-1907) – early women’s suffrage leader and the first woman elected to the Minneapolis school board
- Clara Ueland (1860-1927) – prominent women’s suffragist
- Rudy Perpich (1928-1995) – longest serving governor of Minnesota
- John S. Pillsbury (1827-1901) – Minnesota governor
- Orville L. Freeman (1918 – 2003) – popular Minnesota governor, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture (1961-1969)
- Martin Olav Sabo (1938 -2016) – Elected at 22 to the MN House of Representatives, served in the US Congress during his 46-year career.
Business and Community Leaders and Influencers
- Dr. Robert S. Brown (1863 – 1927) – first Black physician licensed to practice in Minneapolis
- Curt Carlson (1914-1999) – founder of the Carlson Companies and Gold Bond Stamps
- William and Kate Dunwoody (1841-1914) – left millions of dollars to found the industrial trade school, Dunwoody Institute (William), philanthropist who built housing for single working women (Kate)
- Franklin C. Mars (1884-1934) – creator of the Milky Way candy bar
- Archie and Phebe Givens (1919-1974, 1922-2015) – prominent Minneapolis entrepreneurs and philanthropists
- T.B. and Harriet Walker (1840-1928) – founded the Walker Art Museum (T.B.), philanthropist who co-founded the Sisters of Bethany (Harriet)
- Cecil Newman (1903-1976) – civil rights leader and founder of an influential local Black newspaper
- Theodore Wirth (1863-1949) – an internationally recognized horticulturist and park developer
- A. B. Cassius (1907-1983) – interracial union organizer and owner of multiple influential Minneapolis restaurants and entertainment centers
- Dr. Reuben Youngdahl – minister who grew Mt. Olivet Lutheran Church to be the largest Lutheran church in the United States
Artists, Inventors, Entertainers, and Sports Heroes
- Beatrice Ohanessian (1927-2008) – Iraq’s first woman concert pianist and classical composer
- Cedric Adams (1902-1961) – Minnesota journalist and on-air radio personality
- Bill Goldsworthy (1944-1996) – original member of Minnesota North Stars, known for his “Goldy shuffle”
- Bobby Marshall (1880-1958) – multisport athlete from Minneapolis who was the first Black football player to play in the Western Conference (now Big Ten)
- Leslie C. Kouba – wildlife painter
- Johann Emil Oberhoffer (1867-1933) – violinist and composer, conducted local and national symphony orchestras
- Frances Cranmer Greenman (1890-1981) – painter, critic, and writer
- Tiny Tim (1932-1996) – famous and beloved entertainer
- Robert Menzie McAlmon – 1920s-30s publisher, writer, and poet in New York and Paris. He was a publisher and friend to Ernest Hemingway, Gertrude Stein, and James Joyce.
- Harry Wild Jones (1859-1935) – architect famous for many Minneapolis designs, including Lakewood’s chapel
- Richard G. Drew (1899-1980) – inventor of Scotch Tape
Special Sections and Monuments
- Brotherhood of Paternal Order of Elks – bronze elk commissioned in 1900
- Showman’s Rest – Circus performers
- Chinese Community Memorial – marked by a pagoda sculpture
- Grand Army of the Republic (G.A.R.) Monument – donated by Lakewood in 1889 to honor Civil War veterans
- Soldiers Memorial – honors Minnesota’s veterans of the Civil War, Spanish-American War and World War I
- Minneapolis Fire Department Relief Association – a fireman in the square-billed cap and dress uniform of 1892 stands atop of this monument
- Washburn “A” Mill Explosion Memorial Obelisk – lists the names of the 18 men killed in the worst milling disaster in Minneapolis history in 1878
To go deeper, take a self-guided walking tour that takes you through 150 years of history, including the graves of many of Lakewood’s founders, popular politicians, memorials to community groups and more.
Do you value history, beauty and nature?
The Lakewood Heritage Foundation is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization that funds the preservation and restoration of our landscape, art, architecture and public spaces, and helps make our educational programming more accessible.
We welcome donations from anyone interested in maintaining this precious place—for the benefit of all.