Memorial in Washington, D.C., U.S.
United States historic place
The
Daniel Webster Memorial
is a monument in
Washington, D.C.
, honoring U.S. statesman and lawyer
Daniel Webster
. It is located near Webster's former house, beside
Scott Circle
, at the intersection of
Massachusetts Avenue
, N Street, and
Rhode Island Avenue
NW. The person who commissioned the memorial was
Stilson Hutchins
, founder of
The Washington Post
, who greatly admired Webster.
Congress
approved the memorial in 1898 and the dedication ceremony took place in January 1900. Amongst the attendees at the ceremony were President
William McKinley
and his
cabinet
, members of Congress, and Supreme Court justices.
The 12-foot tall (3.7 m) bronze statue rests on an 18-foot (5.5 m) granite pedestal on the west side of Scott Circle. The statue depicts Webster as an orator. The pedestal features two
bas-reliefs
, one depicting the
Webster?Hayne debate
and the other Webster speaking at the
Bunker Hill Monument
dedication ceremony. There are inscriptions describing Webster's life and the sculptor's name. The memorial was listed on the
National Register of Historic Places
(NRHP) and the
District of Columbia Inventory of Historic Sites
in 2007. It is also a
contributing property
to the
Sixteenth Street Historic District
and the
L'Enfant Plan
, both of which are listed on the NRHP.
History
[
edit
]
Subject and sculptor
[
edit
]
Daniel Webster
(1782-1852) was a lawyer and politician who served in the
House of Representatives
and
Senate
, and served as
Secretary of State
twice. He was known as a great statesman and orator, which he often demonstrated in the Senate and in front of the
Supreme Court
. Some of the landmark cases Webster won in the Supreme Court include
Dartmouth College v. Woodward
,
McCulloch v. Maryland
, and
Gibbons v. Ogden
. In total, Webster spent 23 years serving in
Congress
, and served as Secretary of State under Presidents
William Henry Harrison
,
John Tyler
, and
Millard Fillmore
.
[2]
[3]
To honor Webster in the nation's capital, it was proposed to build a memorial to him somewhere in the city.
Scott Circle
, a traffic circle located a few block north of the
White House
, already had the
equestrian statue of Winfield Scott
. There were two small lots on each side of the circle, and it was here where the memorial to Webster and the
Samuel Hahnemann Monument
would be located.
[3]
[4]
The person responsible for the idea of a memorial was
Stilson Hutchins
, founder of
The Washington Post
, who lived near Scott Circle and was a native of
New Hampshire
like Webster. Hutchins greatly admired Webster and told members of Congress he would pay for a statue to honor the man. Congress approved the commission on July 1, 1898, and allocated $4,000 to build the pedestal.
[5]
The architect chosen for the memorial is unknown, but the sculptor was Italian-American
Gaetano Trentanove
, whose other works in the city include the
statue of Jacques Marquette
in the
National Statuary Hall Collection
and the
Albert Pike Memorial
. He attended academies in
Florence
and
Parma
, before moving to the U.S. and later becoming a U.S. citizen.
[3]
The
founder
for the project was Fonderia Galli, who also worked on the Pike memorial.
[5]
Dedication
[
edit
]
The date chosen for the memorial dedication ceremony was January 18, 1900, exactly 118 years since Webster was born.
[3]
The dedication took place at the
Lafayette Square Opera House
whilst the unveiling took place at the memorial site. Amongst the dignitaries in attendance were President
William McKinley
and his
cabinet
, members of Congress, and Supreme Court justices. The event began with a prayer from
William Henry Milburn
, a blind clergyman who was
Chaplain of the United States Senate
at the time. New Hampshire Senator
William E. Chandler
spoke on behalf of Congress, officially accepting the memorial. Secretary of the Navy
John Davis Long
accepted the memorial on behalf of the American people.
Henry N. Couden
, who was serving as
Chaplain of the United States House of Representatives
, delivered a benediction before the memorial was unveiled by Webster's great-grandon, Jerome Bonaparte, along with Hutchins' wife and a young lady, Katherine Deering.
[6]
Later history
[
edit
]
On February 22, 2007, the memorial was added to the
District of Columbia Inventory of Historic Sites
. It was listed on the
National Register of Historic Places
(NRHP) on October 12, 2007. The memorial is also designated a
contributing property
to the
Sixteenth Street Historic District
, listed on the NRHP on August 25, 1978, and the
L'Enfant Plan
, listed on April 24, 1997.
[7]
[8]
Location and design
[
edit
]
Location
[
edit
]
The Daniel Webster statue is located on Reservation 62, a small parcel of land on the west side of Scott Circle. On the opposite side of the circle in Reservation 64 is the
Samuel Hahnemann Monument
. The
equestrian statue of Winfield Scott
, in Reservation 63, stands in the middle of the circle.
[3]
[9]
The three monuments create a bowtie effect with the layout of Scott Circle.
[7]
Reservation 62 is at the intersection of N Street,
Massachusetts Avenue
, and
Rhode Island Avenue
NW. The statue is facing east towards Scott Circle.
[3]
The location of the statue is near Webster's former residence at 1603 Massachusetts Avenue NW.
[4]
Design
[
edit
]
One of two bas-reliefs on the memorial. The one pictured depicts the
Webster?Hayne debate
.
The bronze statue is approximately 12 feet tall (3.7 m), 4 feet wide (1.2 m), and 3 foot deep (0.9 m).
[5]
[9]
It depicts Webster as an orator and, according to historian
James Moore Goode
, "The shoulders are thrown back in a defiant manner as if in answer to a challenge."
[2]
Historian Eve L. Barsoum said his face "portrays an intensity and sternness, indicative of his litigious and oratory skills.
[3]
Webster's right hand is holding a book, which rests on a stand. His clothing includes a long cape draped around his shoulders featuring
epaulets
.
[3]
The rose granite pedestal is approximately 18 feet tall (5.5 m) and 14 feet (4.3 m) on each side.
[5]
The memorial's total height is 30 feet and reflects
neoclassical architecture
.
[2]
[3]
On the pedestal are two bronze
bas-reliefs
, one on the west side and one on the east side, that portray pivotal moments of Webster's life. The bas-relief on the east side depicts the 1830
Webster?Hayne debate
, a debate in the
U.S. Senate
between Webster and
Robert Y. Hayne
, and includes over 100 additional people in relief. The second bas-relief depicts Webster delivering a dedication speech from a flag-draped balcony at the
Bunker Hill Monument
in 1843.
[2]
[5]
There is a quote from the illustrated speeches above each bas-relief.
[5]
Inscription
[
edit
]
One of the inscriptions on the memorial's pedestal
The inscription reads:
[10]
G. Trentanove F. Galli Fuseri, Firenze 1898 Italia
(Front of base:)
DANIEL WEBSTER
LIBERTY AND UNION
NOW AND FOREVER
ONE AND INSEPARABLE
(Proper left bottom:)
BORN AT
SALISBURY, N.H.
JAN 18, 1782
DIED AT
MARSHFIELD MASS
OCT. 24, 1852
(Bottom rear:)
GIVEN BY STILLSON HUTCHINS
A NATIVE OF N.H.
DEDICATED JAN. 18, 1900
(Rear top:)
OUR COUNTRY
OUR WHOLE COUNTRY
AND NOTHING BUT
OUR COUNTRY
(Proper right, bottom:)
EXPOUNDER
AND DEFENDER
OF THE CONSTITUTION
See also
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
"National Register Information System"
.
National Register of Historic Places
.
National Park Service
. July 9, 2010.
- ^
a
b
c
d
Goode, James M. (1974).
The outdoor sculpture of Washington, D.C
. Smithsonian Institution Press. pp. 288?289.
ISBN
9780087471498
.
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
i
Barsoum, Eve L. (December 2006).
"National Register of Historic Places Registration Form - Daniel Webster Memorial"
. National Park Service
. Retrieved
December 27,
2023
.
- ^
a
b
Bednar, Michael (2006).
L'Enfant's Legacy: Public Open Spaces in Washington, D.C
. JHU Press. p. 163.
ISBN
0-8018-8318-0
.
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
f
"Daniel Webster, (sculpture)"
. Smithsonian Institution Research Information System
. Retrieved
December 27,
2023
.
- ^
"Webster's Statue Unveiled"
.
The New York Times
. January 19, 1900. p. 5.
ProQuest
95959677
. Retrieved
December 27,
2023
.
- ^
a
b
Leach, Sara Amy; Barthold, Elizabeth (July 20, 1994).
"National Register of Historic Places Registration Form - L'Enfant Plan of the City of Washington, District of Columbia"
(PDF)
. National Park Service
. Retrieved
December 27,
2023
.
{{
cite web
}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (
link
)
- ^
"District of Columbia Inventory of Historic Sites"
(PDF)
. District of Columbia Office of Planning ? Historic Preservation Office. September 30, 2009
. Retrieved
July 17,
2020
.
- ^
a
b
Trieschmann, Laura V. (February 2, 2017).
"Sixteenth Street Historic District (Boundary Increase)"
(PDF)
. National Park Service
. Retrieved
December 27,
2023
.
- ^
"Daniel Webster Monument"
. National Park Service
. Retrieved
December 27,
2023
.
External links
[
edit
]
|
---|
Topics
| |
---|
Lists by state
| |
---|
Lists by insular areas
| |
---|
Lists by associated state
| |
---|
Other areas
| |
---|
Related
| |
---|
|
|
---|
|
|
Other works
|
---|
Architectural
sculpture
| |
---|
Fountains
| |
---|
|
|
|
|
|
|
---|
Memorials
| |
---|
Other
| |
---|
Parks
and plazas
| |
---|
Boundaries
| |
---|
Nearby
landmarks
| |
---|
Planned
| |
---|
Canceled
| |
---|
Related
| |
---|
|