National Statuary Hall Collection: Background and Legislative Options
Updated September 26, 2024
Congressional Research Service
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R42812
Congressional Research Service
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R42812
Congressional Research Service
The National Statuary Hall Collection, located in the U.S. Capitol, comprises 100 statues provided by individual states to honor persons notable for their historic renown or for distinguished services. The collection was authorized in 1864, when Congress redesignated the hall where the House of Representatives formerly met as National Statuary Hall. The first statue, depicting Nathanael Greene, was provided in 1870 by Rhode Island. The collection has consisted of two statues per state since 2005, when New Mexico sent a statue of Po’pay. At various times, aesthetic and structural concerns necessitated the relocation of some statues outside of National Statuary Hall, and, today, some of these statues are located in the House and Senate wings of the Capitol, Rotunda, Crypt, and Capitol Visitor Center.
Legislation to increase the size of the National Statuary Hall Collection has been introduced in several Congresses. These measures would permit states to furnish more than two statues or allow the District of Columbia and the U.S. territories to provide statues to the collection. None of these proposals have been enacted to date.
Should Congress choose to expand the number of statues in the National Statuary Hall Collection, the Joint Committee on the Library (JCL), other congressional officials, and the Architect of the Capitol (AOC) may need to consider statue location to address aesthetic, structural, and safety concerns in National Statuary Hall, the Capitol Visitor Center, and other areas of the Capitol.
This report provides historical information on the National Statuary Hall Collection and National Statuary Hall. It examines the creation, design, placement, and replacement of statues in the National Statuary Hall Collection. The report then discusses recent legislative proposals to increase the size of the National Statuary Hall Collection.
September 26, 2024
Jacob R. Straus Specialist on the Congress
R. Eric Petersen Specialist in American National Government
Jennifer E. Manning Senior Research Librarian
National Statuary Hall Collection: Background and Legislative Options
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Introduction ..................................................................................................................................... 1 Establishing the National Statuary Hall Collection ......................................................................... 1
Statues in the Collection: Design, Placement, and Replacement .................................................... 3
Statue Design and Placement Guidelines .................................................................................. 3
Replacement of Statues ............................................................................................................. 4
Proposals to Expand the Collection ................................................................................................. 5
Expansion of Permitted Statues Per State ................................................................................. 5 Statues for the District of Columbia and U.S. Territories ......................................................... 6
Issues for Congress .......................................................................................................................... 6
Table A-1. National Statuary Hall Collection Statues ..................................................................... 7 Table B-1. Replaced Statues in the National Statuary Hall Collection ........................................... 9
Appendix A. National Statuary Hall Collection Statues .................................................................. 7
Appendix B. Statues Replaced in the National Statuary Hall Collection ........................................ 9
Author Information ........................................................................................................................ 10
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The U.S. Capitol is home to extensive art collections. These collections are considered by Congress as “an integral part of the history of this renowned building.”1 Perhaps the most prominent collection is the National Statuary Hall Collection, which contains statues of notable citizens provided by each state. First authorized in 1864, today, the National Statuary Hall Collection contains 100 statues throughout the Capitol. Today, 35 collection statues are displayed in National Statuary Hall.2 The rest of the National Statuary Hall Collection is displayed in the House and Senate wings of the Capitol, Rotunda, Crypt, and Capitol Visitor Center (CVC).3
Collection statues—chosen by the states to honor prominent citizens—are furnished to Congress for display in the Capitol. In the 106th Congress (1999-2000), for the first time, states were allowed to replace a statue previously donated to the National Statuary Hall Collection.4 In past Congresses, legislation has been introduced to alter the size of the collection by allowing each state to contribute three statues instead of two or allow the District of Columbia and the U.S. territories to provide one statue each.5
On January 6, 1864, Representative Justin Smith Morrill of Vermont introduced a resolution, which was agreed to by voice vote, requesting that the House Committee on Public Buildings examine the possibility of using the Old Hall of the House of Representatives to display statues.
Resolved, That the Committee on Public Buildings be requested to examine and report as to the expediency of setting apart the old hall of the House of Representatives as a hall for statuary; and also as to the cost of a new flooring and bronze railing on each side of the passage-way through the hall, preparatory to the reception of such works of arts.6
On April 19, 1864, Representative John Hovey Rice of Maine introduced, on behalf of the House Committee on Public Buildings, which he chaired, a joint resolution to create a statuary hall in the Old Hall of the House and to authorize existing appropriations to repair the old House chamber.7 The resolution called for the President to “invite each of the states to provide and furnish statues in marble or bronze, not exceeding two in number each, of men who have been citizens thereof, illustrious in their historical renown or distinguished for their civic or military services, such as
1 U.S. Congress, House Joint Committee on the Library, Art in the United States Capitol, prepared by the Architect of the Capitol, 91st Cong., 2nd sess., H.Doc. 91-368 (Washington: GPO, 1976), p. ix.
2 The House generally met in the “Old Hall” (now called National Statuary Hall) from 1807 until the completion in 1857 of the present House wing of the Capitol. One other statue is on display in National Statuary Hall that is not part of the National Statuary Hall Collection. In 2005, Congress commissioned a statue to honor Rosa Parks (P.L. 109-116, 119 Stat. 2524 (2005)). The statue was dedicated and placed in Statuary Hall in 2013. For more information, see “Rosa Parks Statue,” U.S. Congress, Architect of the Capitol, https://www.aoc.gov/explore-capitol-campus/art/rosa-parks- statue.
3 The location of statues in the collection is available from the Architect of the Capitol, at https://www.aoc.gov/capitol- hill/national-statuary-hall-collection/nsh-location.
4 P.L. 106-554, §1(a)(2), 114 Stat. 2763A-119 (2000).
5 Current statutory requirements for statues placed in National Statuary Hall can be found in Title 2 United States Code 2131, 2131a, and 2132.
6 U.S. Congress, Journal of the House of Representatives of the United States, 83rd Cong. 1st sess., January 6, 1864 (Washington: GPO, 1863), p. 108.
7 Rep. John Hovey Rice et al., “The Old House Hall,” House debate, Congressional Globe, vol. 34, part 2 (April 19, 1864), pp. 1736-1737.
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each State shall determine are worthy of national remembrance.”8 The joint resolution passed the House by a vote of 87 to 20 and was referred in the Senate to the Committee on Public Buildings and Grounds,9 where it was reported without amendment and with the recommendation that it “ought not to pass.”10 The Senate took no further action on the joint resolution.
Subsequently, in June 1864, during House consideration of a civil appropriations bill, Representative Thaddeus Stevens of Pennsylvania offered an amendment similar to the joint resolution previously passed by the House.11 The amendment was agreed to in the House,12 but was removed from the bill when it was considered in the Senate.13 The proposed language was restored in conference committee, and it stated
Sec. 2. And be it further enacted, That a marble floor, similar to that of the Congressional Library or the Senate vestibule, shall be constructed in the old Hall of the House of Representatives, using such marble as may be now on hand and not otherwise required, and that suitable structures and railings shall be therein erected for the reception and protection of statuary, and the same shall be under the supervision and direction of the Commissioner of Public Buildings; and so much of the moneys now or heretofore appropriated for the capitol extension as may be necessary, not exceeding the sum of fifteen thousand dollars, is hereby set apart and shall be disbursed for the porse [purposes] hereinbefore mentioned. And the President is hereby authorized to invite each and all the States to provide and furnish statues, in marble or bronze, not exceeding two in number for each state, of deceased persons who have been citizens thereof, and illustrious for their historic renown or from distinguished civic or military services, such as each state shall determine to be worthy of this national commemoration; and when so furnished the same shall be placed in the old hall of the House of Representatives, in the capitol of the United States, which is hereby set apart, or so much thereof as may be necessary, as a national statuary hall, for the purposes herein indicated.14
The first statue in the collection, depicting Nathanael Greene, was provided by Rhode Island in 1870. As the Union grew, the number of statues in the collection increased; by 1933, the hall held 65 statues, some of which stood three deep. Aesthetic and structural concerns necessitated the relocation of some statues throughout the Capitol.15 The collection reached 100 statues in 2005 when New Mexico, which became a state in 1912, added the statue of Po’pay.16
8 Ibid., p. 1736.
9 Ibid., p. 1737.
10 U.S. Congress, Journal of the Senate of the United States of America, 83rd Cong. 1st sess., April 25, 1864 (Washington: GPO, 1863), p. 366.
11 Rep. Thaddeus Stevens, “Civil Appropriations Bill,” House debate, Congressional Globe, vol. 34, part 4 (June 20, 1864), pp. 3106-3107.
12 U.S. Congress, Joint Committee on the Library, Legislation Creating the National Statuary Hall in the Capitol, 64th Cong., 2nd sess. (Washington: GPO, 1916), p. 12.
13 “Civil Appropriations Bill,” Senate debate, Congressional Globe, vol. 34, part 4 (June 24, 1864), p. 3225.
14 13 Stat. 347, July 2, 1864. Authority over the Capitol Building and Grounds was transferred to the Architect of the Capitol in 1876 (19 Stat. 147 (1876). For more information on the creation of National Statuary Hall, see U.S. Congress, Joint Committee on the Library, Legislation Creating the National Statuary Hall in the Capitol: With the Proceedings in Congress Relating to the Statues Placed in the National Statuary Hall by the States, prepared by H.A. Vale, 64th cong., 2nd sess. (Washington: GPO, 1916), pp. 5-17.
15 National Statuary Hall is the two-story, former chamber of the House of Representatives and is also called the “Old Hall of the House.” For more information, see “Statuary Hall,” House Debate, Congressional Record, vol. 76, part 4 (February 20, 1933), pp. 4533-4534; and “Statuary Hall,” Congressional Record, vol. 76, part 4 (February 20, 1933), pp. 4533-4534. Also, see “Statuary Hall Creaks ‘Neath the Weight of Fame,” The Christian Science Monitor, January 25, 1933, p. 1.
16 “Po’pay Statue,” U.S. Congress, Architect of the Capitol, http://www.aoc.gov/cc/art/nsh/popay.cfm.
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Pursuant to the July 1864 civil appropriations bill, each state may donate up to two statues for inclusion in the National Statuary Hall Collection. Statues donated to the collection are to be made of “marble or bronze, not exceeding two in number for each State, of deceased persons who have been citizens thereof, and illustrious for their historic renown or for distinguished civic or military services.”17
Statues donated to the collection must be formally accepted by the Joint Committee on the Library (JCL).18 To assist states, the Architect of the Capitol (AOC) has published guidelines, which are subject to modification by the JCL, for creating statues for the collection. The guidelines address numerous aspects of statuary design, including subject, material, pedestal, inscriptions, size and weight, patina and coating, and other considerations.19
Additionally, the AOC, “upon the approval of the Joint Committee on the Library (JCL) and with the advice of the Commission of Fine Arts as requested,”20 is authorized and directed to locate or relocate collection statues within the Capitol.21 The AOC, under the JCL’s guidance, established a nine-step process for the acceptance of a new or replacement statue. This process is part of the statue design and placement guidelines.
17 2 U.S.C. §2131.
18 In addition to authorities granted to the JCL in 1872, Congress in 1988 assigned responsibility to provide works of fine art and other property for display in the Capitol to the Capitol Preservation Commission. Similar authorities were granted to the House and Senate through the House of Representatives Fine Arts Board, Senate Commission on Art, and Senate Committee on Rules and Administration for art in their buildings and respective wings of the Capitol. (2 U.S.C. §§2081, 2101, 2102, 2121, 2133, 2135). These parallel authorities may raise questions related to which congressional entities might be involved in future National Statuary Hall Collection and other fine art decisions.
19 2 U.S.C. §2131. Also, see Architect of the Capitol, Procedure and Guidelines for Replacement of Statues in the National Statuary Hall Collection. A copy of this document is available to congressional clients from the authors upon request. Other considerations include requirements that statues and pedestals not be safety hazards and should not include sharp or protruding elements.
20 2 U.S.C. §2132(e). The Commission of Fine Arts (CFA) was created by Congress in 1910. The commission advises Congress, the President, and heads of departments and agencies on the location of statues, fountains, and monuments in public spaces in the District of Columbia; selection of models and artists for statues, fountains, and monuments erected under the authority of the federal government; and responds to questions of art, when required. A 2002 revision of the law states that the commission’s responsibilities do “not apply to the Capitol Building and the Library of Congress buildings,” suggesting it no longer has a role in decisions regarding the location of the collection within the Capitol. See 40 U.S.C. §9102.
21 H.Con.Res. 47 (72nd Congress), agreed to February 24, 1933. Statutory authority was enacted in 2000, 2 U.S.C. §2132(e).
Statue Design and Placement
Guidelines
Specific requirements and guidelines for statue design and placement are available from the Architect of the Capitol, at https://www.aoc.gov/sites/default/files/ statue_replacement_guidelines_2014.pdf.
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Since 2000, states have been allowed to replace statues donated to the collection. Regulations for the replacement of statues were established by the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2001.22 In 2005, Congress enacted a requirement that an individual depicted on a statue displayed in the National Statuary Hall Collection must be deceased for at least 10 years.23 To replace a statue, a state must
• request—through the approval of a resolution adopted by the state legislature and signed by the governor—in writing, approval from the Joint Committee; and
• ensure that the statue to be replaced has been displayed in the collection for at least 10 years.24
Upon the Joint Committee’s approval of the replacement request, the AOC is authorized to enter into an agreement with the state, subject to any conditions imposed by the Joint Committee. Once accepted, the state is responsible for paying all related costs, including the design, construction, transportation, and placement of the new statue and pedestal; the removal and transportation of the statue being replaced (back to the state or other location determined by the state legislature); and any unveiling ceremony.25
Since the authorization of replacements within the collection in 2000, 12 states—Alabama, Arkansas (twice), Arizona, California, Florida, Iowa, Kansas (twice), Michigan, Missouri, North Carolina, Nebraska (twice), and Ohio—have sent a replacement statue. Additionally, two states— Virginia and Arkansas—have requested that at least one of their statutes be removed from the U.S. Capitol before a replacement statue has been dedicated. In 2019, Arkansas enacted legislation to remove its two statues—U.M. Rose and James P. Clarke—and replace them with statues of Daisy Lee Gatson Bates and Johnny Cash.26 On May 8, 2024, Arkansas’s Daisy Lee Gatson Bates statue was dedicated in National Statuary Hall,27 followed by the Johnny Cash statue on September 24, 2024.28 In 2020, Virginia requested the removal of its Robert E. Lee statue and also announced that a statue of Barbara Johns will be sent to the Capitol as a
22 This section is based on P.L. 106-554, 114 Stat. 2763A-119 (2000), codified at 22 U.S.C. §2132, and other sources as noted.
23 2 U.S.C. §2131a(a).
24 The Joint Committee on the Library may waive the 10-year requirement for cause at the request of the state, 2 U.S.C. §2132.
25 For example, see the State of Nebraska’s summary of activities for the replacement of a statue of Julius Sterling Morton with a statue of Willa Cather in 2023, at https://history.nebraska.gov/willa-cather-national-statuary-hall- selection-committee.
26 Arkansas Code Annotated §1-4-134; Acts 2019, No. 581, §1 (2019). For more information, see Sean Clancy, “Statues of Bates, Cash Approved for U.S. Display,” Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, April 12, 2019, at arkansasonline.com/412cash/.
27 U.S. Congress, Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, “Speaker Johnson Honors Daisy Bates of Arkansas in Statue Dedication,” press release, May 9, 2024, https://www.speaker.gov/speaker-johnson-honors-daisy-bates-of-arkansas-in- statue-dedication.
28 H.Con.Res. 120 (118th Congress), agreed to August 2, 2024. See also, U.S. Congress, Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, “Johnny Cash Statue Unveiling Ceremony,” September 24, 2024, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v= DF5eRhQP6og.
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replacement.29 A timeline for the arrival in the U.S. Capitol of the Barbara Johns statue has not yet been announced.30
A list of statues replaced in the collection can be found in Appendix B.
Legislation to increase the size of the collection might fall into two categories. The first would increase the number of statues that states are permitted to donate, from a maximum of two per state to three per state. The second would permit the District of Columbia and the U.S. territories to contribute one or more statues to the collection.
Since the redesignation of the Old Hall of the House as National Statuary Hall in 1864, each state has been allowed to place two statues in the collection. Supporters of providing a third statue per state argue that additional statues could provide an opportunity to increase the diversity of the collection, which currently includes 21 statues of women or minorities.31 Several proposals have been introduced since the 1990s to provide a third statue to each state.32
If Congress were to authorize an additional statue per state, states would be able, but not be required, to add statues to the collection. Increasing the collection by up to 50 statues may take some time, as states debate who might be honored, approve their selections, request JCL approval, raise funds, and commission artists to create new statues.
Should the National Statuary Hall Collection expand to more than 100 statues, space for the additional statues in the Capitol complex could become an issue. Currently, collection statues are located in the Rotunda; the Crypt; the House wing of the Capitol in National Statuary Hall; the Hall of Columns; and adjacent to the House chamber, the Senate wing of the Capitol, and the CVC. When the CVC opened in 2008, collection statues were moved to Emancipation Hall and other CVC locations to reduce the number of statues in National Statuary Hall and other Capitol locations. The addition of 50 or more statues might require the AOC to place statues closer together in those locations. If more statues are placed in National Statuary Hall itself, some display and structural concerns that have arisen in the past may be revisited.
29 For more information, see Letter from The Honorable Ralph S. Northam, Governor, Commonwealth of Virginia, to J. Brett Blanton, Architect of the Capitol, July 31, 2020, https://www.dhr.virginia.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/ 7.31.2020-RSN-Letter-to-Brett-Blanton.pdf; and “Commission for Historical Statues in the United States Capitol,” Virginia Department of Historic Resources, https://www.dhr.virginia.gov/uscapitolcommission.
30 For more information on the Johnny Cash statue, see “Capitol Arts & Grounds Commission,” Arkansas Secretary of State, https://www.sos.arkansas.gov/cagc. For more information on the Barbara Johns statue, see Virginia Department of Historic Resources, “Preliminary Model of Virginia’s Barbara Rose Johns Statute for U.S. Capitol Approved,” August 7, 2023, https://www.dhr.virginia.gov/blog-posts/barbara-rose-johns-maquette-approved-for-us-capitol.
31 U.S. Congress, Architect of the Capitol, “How Many Women are Represented in the National Statuary Hall Collection,” Capitol Hill Facts, https://www.aoc.gov/explore-capitol-campus/capitol-hill-facts; and Rep. Stephen Cohen, “Support More Diversity in the United States Capitol,” remarks in the House, Congressional Record, daily edition, vol. 157, (March 30, 2011), p. H2049.
32 For example, see H.R. 3368 (103rd Congress), introduced October 26, 1993; and H.R. 1289 (112th Congress), introduced March 31, 2011. “Introduction of Bill and Joint Resolutions,” Congressional Record, vol. 121, part 2 (February 5, 1975), p. 2447.
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In the past, proposals have been introduced to authorize the District of Columbia and the territories to provide one or two statues for the National Statuary Hall Collection. None of these proposals were considered.33 Although it is not part of the National Statuary Hall collection, in 2013, a statue of Frederick Douglass was donated by the District of Columbia government and accepted by Congress for placement in Emancipation Hall of the Capitol Visitor Center.34 The statue was officially unveiled on June 19, 2013.35
Over the past four decades, Congress has considered proposals to increase the number of statues in the National Statuary Hall Collection. As noted above, one group of legislative proposals involves adding additional statues for each state; another would expand the collection by allowing the District of Columbia and the U.S. territories to provide statues to the collection. If either or both options were adopted, proponents argue that states could donate statues that better represent various aspects of their history. Congress might also consider revising the criteria to discourage or disallow states from sending figures associated with certain historical events or revising standards for statues associated with certain historical events from being displayed in the Capitol.36
Increasing the number of statues in the collection, however, could result in further space concerns related to statue display in the Capitol. When the CVC opened, the AOC, under the JCL’s direction, reduced the number of collection statues on display in National Statuary Hall as well as in the House and Senate wings of the Capitol by moving them to Emancipation Hall and other locations within the CVC. Adding additional statues to the collection might necessitate relocating existing statues.
Any changes to the collection would likely be weighed against the potential costs to states, or if approved, the District of Columbia and U.S. territories, who might provide new statues. In the case of expanding the number of statues that might be added to the collection, a further concern is whether the larger collection could be displayed in the Capitol in an appropriate manner. Other considerations include structural, traffic management, and life safety constraints of the physical environment.
33 For example, see S. 566 (94th Congress) and S. 3678 (93rd Congress). Similar legislation to authorize the District of Columbia and territories to provide statues to the collection was introduced in the 99th, 109th, 111th, and 118th Congresses. In the 118th Congress, H.R. 1026 and H.R. 3251 would authorize the President to invite each U.S. territory to provide two statues for placement in National Statuary Hall.
34 P.L. 112-174, 126 Stat. 1311 (2012).
35 S.Con.Res. 16 (113th Congress), May 21, 2013.
36 For example, in the 117th Congress (2021-2022)—H.R. 3005, §3(b) and H.R. 8237—and in the 118th Congress (2023-2024)—H.R. 1248 and S. 573—would generally have required the removal of all statues of individuals who voluntarily served the Confederate States of America from display in publicly accessible areas of the United States Capitol. See also, U.S. Congress, House, Committee on Appropriations, Legislative Branch Appropriations Bill, 2023, 117th Cong., 2nd sess., H.Rept. 117-389 (2022), https://www.congress.gov/congressional-report/117th-congress/house- report/389.
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Table A-1 provides a list of statues currently in the collection, by state, with the name of the statue and the year it was placed in the collection.
Table A-1. National Statuary Hall Collection Statues
State Statue
Year
Placed State Statue
Year
Placed
Alabama Helen Keller 2009 Montana Jeanette Rankin 1985
Alabama Joseph Wheeler 1925 Montana Charles Marion Russell
1959
Alaska Ernest Gruening 1977 Nebraska Chief Standing Bear 2019
Alaska Edward Lewis Bartlett 1971 Nebraska Willa Cather 2023
Arizona Eusebio Kino 1965 Nevada Sarah Winnemucca 2005
Arizona Barry Goldwater 2015 Nevada Patrick Anthony McCarran
1960
Arkansas Daisy Lee Gatson Bates 2024 New Hampshire John Stark 1894
Arkansas Johnny Cash 2024 New Hampshire Daniel Webster 1894
California Father Junipero Serra 1931 New Jersey Richard Stockton 1888
California Ronald Wilson Reagan 2009 New Jersey Philip Kearny 1888
Colorado John L. Swigert 1997 New Mexico Po'pay 2005
Colorado Florence R. Sabin 1959 New Mexico Dennis Chavez 1966
Connecticut Roger Sherman 1872 New York Robert R. Livingston 1875
Connecticut Jonathan Trumbull 1872 New York George Clinton 1873
Delaware Caesar Rodney 1934 North Carolina Billy Graham Jr. 2024
Delaware John Middleton Clayton 1934 North Carolina Zebulon Baird Vance 1916
Florida Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune 2022 North Dakota Sakakawea 2003
Florida John Gorrie 1914 North Dakota John Burke 1963
Georgia Crawford W. Long 1926 Ohio Thomas Edison 2016
Georgia Alexander Hamilton Stephens
1927 Ohio James A. Garfield 1886
Hawaii Kamehameha I 1969 Oklahoma Will Rogers 1939
Hawaii Father Damien 1969 Oklahoma Sequoyah 1917
Idaho William Edgar Borah 1947 Oregon John McLoughlin 1953
Idaho George Laird Shoup 1910 Oregon Jason Lee 1953
Illinois James Shields 1893 Pennsylvania John Peter Gabriel Muhlenberg
1889
Illinois Frances E. Willard 1905 Pennsylvania Robert Fulton 1889
Indiana Lewis Wallace 1910 Rhode Island Nathanael Greene 1870
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State Statue
Year
Placed State Statue
Year
Placed
Indiana Oliver Hazard Perry Morton
1900 Rhode Island Roger Williams 1872
Iowa Dr. Norman E. Borlaug 2014 South Carolina John Caldwell Calhoun
1910
Iowa Samuel Jordan Kirkwood 1913 South Carolina Wade Hampton 1929
Kansas Amelia Earhart 2022 South Dakota Joseph Ward 1963
Kansas Dwight D. Eisenhower 2003 South Dakota William Henry Harrison Beadle
1938
Kentucky Ephraim McDowell 1929 Tennessee John Sevier 1931
Kentucky Henry Clay 1929 Tennessee Andrew Jackson 1928
Louisiana Edward Douglass White 1955 Texas Stephen Austin 1905
Louisiana Huey Pierce Long 1941 Texas Sam Houston 1905
Maine William King 1878 Utah Philo T. Farnsworth 1990
Maine Hannibal Hamlin 1935 Utah Brigham Young 1950
Maryland Charles Carroll 1903 Vermont Ethan Allen 1876
Maryland John Hanson 1903 Vermont Jacob Collamer 1881
Massachusetts Samuel Adams 1876 Virginia George Washington 1934
Massachusetts John Winthrop 1876 Virginia See Table Note Below
Michigan Lewis Cass 1889 Washington Mother Joseph 1980
Michigan Gerald R. Ford Jr. 2011 Washington Marcus Whitman 1953
Minnesota Maria L. Sanford 1958 West Virginia John E. Kenna 1901
Minnesota Henry Mower Rice 1916 West Virginia Francis Harrison Pierpont
1910
Mississippi James Zachariah George 1931 Wisconsin Jacques Marquette 1896
Mississippi Jefferson Davis 1931 Wisconsin Robert M. La Follette 1929
Missouri Francis Preston Blair Jr. 1899 Wyoming Washakie 2000
Missouri Harry S. Truman 2022 Wyoming Esther Hobart Morris
1960
Source: CRS compilation from Architect of the Capitol National Statuary Hall Collection website, http://www.aoc.gov/the-national-statuary-hall-collection?capitol_hill=TRUE. Note: The statue of Robert E. Lee (VA) has been removed from display. For more information, see Table B-1.
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Since 2000, states have been allowed to replace statues donated to the collection. Regulations for the replacement of statues were established by the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2001.37 Table B-1 provides a list of states that have replaced statues, the year of the replacement, the original statue, and the replacement statue.
Table B-1. Replaced Statues in the National Statuary Hall Collection
State Year Original Statue Replacement Statue
Kansas 2003 George W. Glick Dwight D. Eisenhower
Alabama 2009 Lamar Monroe Curry Helen Keller
California 2009 Thomas Starr King Ronald Wilson Reagan
Michigan 2011 Zachariah Chandler Gerald R. Ford Jr.
Iowa 2014 James Harlan Dr. Norman E. Borlaug
Arizona 2015 John Campbell Greenway Barry Goldwater
Ohio 2016 William Allen Thomas Edison
Nebraska 2019 William Jennings Bryan Chief Standing Bear
Florida 2022 Edmund Kirby Smith Mary McLeod Bethune
Kansas 2022 John James Ingalls Amelia Earhart
Missouri 2022 Thomas Hart Benton Harry S. Truman
Nebraska 2023 Julius Sterling Morton Willa Cather
Arkansas 2024 Uriah Rose Daisy Lee Gatson Bates
North Carolina 2024 Charles Aycock Billy Graham Jr.
Arkansas 2024 James Paul Clarke Johnny Cash
Virginia Pending Robert E. Lee (Removed from display, 2020)a
Barbara Johns
Source: CRS compilation from Architect of the Capitol National Statuary Hall Collection website, http://www.aoc.gov/the-national-statuary-hall-collection. Notes: a. In 2020, at the request of the Commonwealth of Virginia, the Robert E. Lee statue was removed from display in the U.S. Capitol. For more information, see Letter from The Honorable Ralph S. Northam, Governor, Commonwealth of Virginia, to J. Brett Blanton, Architect of the Capitol, July 31, 2020, https://www.dhr.virginia.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/7.31.2020-RSN-Letter-to-Brett-Blanton.pdf.
37 This sentence is based on P.L. 106-554, 114 Stat. 2763A-119 (2000), codified at 22 U.S.C. §2132, and other sources as noted.
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Congressional Research Service R42812 · VERSION 36 · UPDATED 10
Jacob R. Straus Specialist on the Congress
Jennifer E. Manning
Senior Research Librarian
R. Eric Petersen Specialist in American National Government
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