Hecker (1811-1881), an admired and widely-known German revolutionary and lawyer, settled in the United States after the 1848 revolution. He raised two regiments for the Union army during the American Civil War and served in Viriginia.

The memorial, by sculptor G. Stubenraugh, is a shaft of gray stone with the name Friedrich Hecker and the dates 1848 and 1861 inscribed on it. Ernst C. Janssen, who was trained in Germany, was the architect of the memorial, which was dedicated on October 1, 1882.