Lenthall, John, 1762-1808

John Lenthall was born in 1762 in England. He emigrated to the United States in 1793 and was the Clerk of the Works and Principal Surveyor at the United States Capitol Building under the Architect of the Capitol, Benjamin H. Latrobe, where he served as the building’s construction superintendent. He married Jane King and together they had one son, who was named after his father, and a daughter, Mary King Lenthall. John Lenthall died in a construction accident in the north wing of the Capitol Building when the props that held up the vaulted ceiling were prematurely removed and it collapsed on him, crushing him to death on September 19, 1808. He is buried at Rock Creek Cemetery in Washington D.C.