Statue will be placed in U.S. Capitol Rotunda

WASHINGTON – The final step has been taken in the process to place a statue resembling President Gerald R. Ford in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda. The Joint Committee on the Library, which oversees the placement of statues in the Capitol, approved the placement of the Ford statue today.

Congressman Vernon J. Ehlers is the top Republican on the committee, and led the effort to place the statue in the Capitol Rotunda. The committee instructed the Architect of the Capitol to work with the State of Michigan and the Gerald R. Ford Foundation in the statue’s creation.

“Today is a red letter day for the placement of a statue of President Gerald R. Ford in the Capitol Rotunda, a building in which he worked for 25 years,” said Congressman Ehlers. “I am honored to help commemorate the life and service of President Ford with this statue, and I thank my colleagues on the Joint Committee on the Library, the Michigan Legislature, and Governor Jennifer Granholm for making this tribute possible.”

The State Legislature and Governor Granholm approved resolutions allowing a statue of President Ford to be placed in the Capitol as part of Michigan’s contribution to the National Statuary Hall collection. The Joint Committee on the Library then approved a proposal for the statue to be placed in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda.

The Ford statue will replace a statue of Zachariah Chandler, one of two statues the state contributes to the National Statuary Hall collection. Since each state may only display two statues in the collection at one time, the Chandler statue will be moved to the Detroit Historical Museum for display.

The Gerald R. Ford Foundation will fund the statue’s design, creation, and transport to the Capitol.