Five other states decide to swap out their statues

WASHINGTON — Only a handful of states have replaced the statues of historic figures that represent them in the U.S. Capitol since Congress passed legislation allowing the change in 2000.

More than 100 years ago, Congress asked states to send life-size statues of influential citizens to be permanently displayed in what is now called Statuary Hall. Each state was allowed to send up to two statues made of bronze or marble of a deceased citizen.

After Congress voted to allow states to replace their statues, leaders in many states — including Arkansas — have talked about a change. But just five states have switched out their statues, according to the Architect of the Capitol’s website.

Three states chose a president born in the states to represent them.

Kansas was the first state to change its statue. It replaced its 1914 statue of former Gov. George Washington Glick with one of former President Dwight D. Eisenhower in 2003.

In 2009, California replaced the statue of Unitarian Minister Thomas Starr King, donated in 1931, with a statue of former President Ronald Reagan.

In 2011, Michigan replaced its 1913 statue of U.S. Sen. Zachariah Chandler with a statue of former President Gerald Ford.

Two states picked people who contributed to the nation outside of politics.

In 2009, Alabama replaced its 1908 statue of Confederate soldier and ambassador Jabez Lamar Monroe Curry with a statue of social rights activist Helen Keller.

Earlier this year, Iowa replaced its more-than-100year-old statue of former U.S. Sen. James Harlan with a statue of Dr. Norman E. Bourlaug, who developed seed selection and irrigation techniques that have been credited with saving a billion people from starvation.

A statue of 1964 Republican presidential nominee and longtime U.S. Sen. Barry Goldwater will soon be moved to the U.S. Capitol to represent Arizona, replacing a statue of John Campbell Greenway, a mining executive who died in the 1920s.

Ohio is creating a statue of inventor Thomas Edison, which it intends to unveil in the fall of 2015. The statue will replace Gov. William Allen.

To change a statue, a state’s legislature passes a resolution that identifies the new individual being commemorated and lists the person’s qualifications. The legislation also creates a group to pick a sculptor and determine how the statue will be paid for. States are responsible for all costs, including moving, placing and unveiling the new statue and removing the old one. They must also have plans for what to do with the old statue.

Before moving forward, all parts of the plan have to be approved by the Architect of the Capitol and the House and Senate Joint Committee on the Library, which oversees changes at the Capitol and Library of Congress.

Information about the statues from each state is available online at www. aoc.gov/capitol-hill/statues.