With the growing debate over the removal of Jefferson Davis from Kentucky Capitol’s rotunda, and the possibility of finding a replacement, there is some precedent for selecting statues to represent the state that removes politics from the process.
I come to this debate from a unique perspective, the two statues representing Kentucky in the U.S. Capitol, one of Henry clay and the other of Dr. Ephraim McDowell, and also under the rotunda in Frankfort, were gifts to the people of Kentucky by my great grandfather Isaac W. Bernheim. The process of choosing who should represent the Commonwealth seemed to be moving in a political direction, with the names of Abraham Lincoln and Jefferson Davis as the focus of attention. Here is how it was resolved 90 years ago.
The story begins in 1925 when my great grandfather, an immigrant from Germany, visited the U.S. Capitol and was surprised to learn that Kentucky, the state where he had settled, appeared to be the only state not represented by a statue in Statuary Hall.
He returned home and proceeded to undertake a campaign to get Kentucky represented in the U.S. Capitol. He offered to pay all the cost of the statues, but his gift needed to be formally accepted by the State Legislature. The rules of the U.S. Capitol required that only through legislative action, by a State Legislature, can statues be sent to represent a State.
My great grandfather wanted Kentucky to be presented by his greatest American hero Abraham Lincoln. However, the Speaker of the Kentucky House asked if Jefferson Davis was represented in Statuary Hall, and was told he was not.
The Legislature removed any controversy from the decision by creating a commission to recommend that best Kentucky citizens to be honored with a U.S. Capitol statue. The commission was composed of the Presidents from the University of Kentucky, University of Louisville, and Berea College. These distinguished leaders first asked fourth grade students to nominate candidates, and the commission ended up recommending Henry Clay, and famed surgeon Dr. Ephraim McDowell.
The original bronze statues are today in the U.S. Capitol complex. Henry Clay appropriately is in Statuary Hall, which is the old U.S. House Chamber where Clay presided as Speaker. McDowell is currently in the new Visitors Center. In Frankfort the plaster models that were used to cast the bronze Washington statues stand in the Capitol rotunda. They represent the best of Kentucky and perhaps a commission could be established now to select a replacement for Jefferson Davis.
My great grandfather greatly admired Lincoln because he, like Lincoln, felt passionately about equality. Perhaps his greatest legacy, Bernheim Forest, was created near Louisville during segregation.
In his letter to the forest trustees, in 1929, he wrote: “…within the confines of the park. No distinction will be shown between rich and poor, white or colored. Every respectable man, woman and child will be made welcome, and all will be treated with an equal consideration.”
As a footnote, while my great grandfather was unable to donate a statue of Lincoln to the Capitol buildings he did donate the wonderful statue of Lincoln that stands outside the Louisville Free Library, and I was told that my grandmother unveiled the Lincoln statue.
Tom Block is a public policy consultant who had a 21-year career with JP Morgan Chase where he served as head of government relations in New York City and created a Washington research product. He also created the bank’s EU Government Relations program and developed a new position as U.S. government policy strategist focusing on how U.S. government policy impacts capital markets. He has an extensive government and banking background, has worked on political campaigns and as a speech writer. He is a family trustee of Bernheim Arboretum in Louisville and holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from American University. He and his wife make their home in Kentucky. Contact him at tomblockct@aol.com.