Martha Hughes Cannon Statue Unveiled At Temporary Home At Utah State Capitol
Sep 15, 2020, 11:57 AM | Updated: 12:20 pm
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – A statue of Dr. Martha Hughes Cannon, the first woman to be elected to the U.S. Senate, was unveiled Monday at its temporary home in the Utah State Capitol building.
The statue was originally scheduled to be installed in Washington, D.C., but because of the pandemic it is now on the third floor of the Utah Capitol building. It will move to a permanent home at National Statuary Hall in the U.S. Capitol Building once COVID-19 restrictions are lifted.
Dr. Martha Hughes Cannon was the first woman elected to the U. S. Senate (courtesy Martha Hughes Cannon Statue Oversight Committee)
Sen. Deidre Henderson, co-chair of the Martha Hughes Cannon Statue Oversight Committee said, “This project has united Utahns across the political spectrum. As we join together to honor our past, we also feel renewed hope for our future. This unity and hope belies any divisiveness, disease, or disaster that may otherwise cast shade on the year 2020.”
Dr. Martha Hughes Cannon Statue Unveiled at the Utah State Capitol
Posted by KSL 5 TV on Monday, September 14, 2020
Rep. Karen Kwan Quote, co-chair of the Committee, said, “Dr. Martha Hughes Cannon was a trailblazer, suffragist, and the first female state senator in the country. Her installation here, and later in D.C. marks a victory for all women. I’m especially proud of the work done by my Black, Indigenous, and other sisters of color in history who fought for the right to vote, even though there was no guarantee that BIOPC communities would be able to vote.”
The Committee selected Utah Artist Ben Hammond to design the new statue which weighs 550 pounds, stands 7 feet 6 inches tall. It’s made of copper that was mined in Utah and donated by Rio Tinto.
