22 Famous Civilians Laid to Rest at Arlington Cemetery

Arlington National Cemetery was first created to bury Union soldiers during the Civil War. Today, it spans more than 639 acres and holds about 400,000 graves. While most belong to service members and military leaders, several civilians are also laid to rest there.

Among them are chief justices, journalists, nurses, explorers, astronauts, and even actresses married to servicemen. Notable names include Jane Delano, founder of the American Red Cross Nursing Service; explorer Matthew Henson, the first African American to reach the North Pole; Pulitzer-winning journalist Marguerite Higgins; Secretary of State William Jennings Bryan; and Challenger astronauts Christa McAuliffe and Judith Resnik.

Five actresses are also buried at Arlington: Fay Bainter, Constance Bennett, Phyllis Kirk, Priscilla Lane, and Maureen O'Hara, honored alongside the military families they joined in life.

These are some famous non-military people buried at Arlington Cemetery:

Known for being the first female surgeon in the U.S. Army.

Known for being the fiirst teacher in space. She was killed in the Challenger tragedy in 1986.

Known for being Secretary of Defense under President Lyndon Johnson.

Known for being actress in 1930s and '40s. She was interred with her husband, Brig. Gen. Theron John Coulter, who served in the U.S. Air Force.

Known for being an Oscar-winning actress. She was interred with her husband, Lt. Cmdr. Reginald Venable, who served in the U.S. Navy.

Known for serving as a Supreme Court justice.

Known for being the First Lady and wife of President William Howard Taft.

Known for being the First Lady and wife of President John F. Kennedy.

Known for being a freed slave, and was born on the grounds of the Arlington estate.

Known for being a nurse and the founder of the American Red Cross Nursing Service.

Known for being an engineer and an astronaut. She was killed in the Challenger tragedy.

Known for being a Pulitzer Prize-winning war correspondent. She was interred with her husband, Lt. Gen. William Evens Hall, who served in the U.S. Air Force.

Known for being a distant cousin of Thomas Jefferson. She was the author of the pioneering American cookbook "The Virginia House-Wife."

Known for being an explorer and the first African-American to reach the North Pole.

Known for being an actress from the 1930s through 1990s. She was interred with her husband, Brigadier General Charles F. Blair Jr., who served in the U.S. Air Force.

Known for being and actress in the 1950s. She was interred with husband, producer Warren Bush, who served in the Army Air Forces during World War II.

Known for being an actress in the 1930s and '40s. She was interred with her husband, Lt. Joseph A. Howard, who served in the Army Air Corps.

Known for being a physicist and astronaut. He died in the Challenger tragedy.

Known for being a Supreme Court justice and liberal icon.

Known for being the first African-American Supreme Court justice.

Known for being the only person to serve as President of the United States and Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.

Known for being a politician and orator who ran for president three times and famously opposed the theory of evolution at the Scopes "Monkey Trial" of 1925.