All Things Ohio at the Capitol

Statement

All Things Ohio at the Capitol

Recently another Member of Congress asked me why Ohio was known as the "Buckeye State." This legislator was surprised to learn that there is a Buckeye tree on the Capitol grounds. It is located on the south side of the Capitol's west front walkway, closest to the reflecting pool. The Buckeye tree is just one of many reminders of Ohio's importance to the union that can be found in the U.S. Capitol, on the grounds, or close by, and worth keeping in mind for anybody planning a trip to Washington, D.C.

Every state is allowed to display statues of two of its local heroes in the Capitol. James Garfield, the nation's 20th president, is the more well known of the two Ohio heroes immortalized as statues in the Capitol. Garfield was a Civil War veteran elected president in 1880. He is the only sitting U.S. Congressman to be elected president. On July 2, 1881, less than 4 months into his term, a disgruntled office seeker who had failed to gain an appointment to Garfield's administration, Charles Guiteau, shot President Garfield in the Washington train station. Garfield lingered on until September, when he died as much from the attempts to retrieve the bullet as the bullet itself. Garfield's statue can be found in a prominent location in the Capitol Rotunda, where it has been on display since 1886.

Another Ohio hero is William Allen, the son of a Revolutionary War officer. His statue can be found in Statuary Hall. Although Allen was born in North Carolina in 1803, he traveled alone to Ohio, to be with his sister, when he was 16. He was elected to the House of Representatives and appointed by the governor to complete Thomas Ewing's term as U.S. Senator. Nicknamed "Eathquake Allen," he was re-elected to serve a term in his own right. Allen coined the slogan "Fifty-Four/Forty or Fight!" (representing the latitude line serving as the northern boundary of Oregon) to show support of U.S. territorial rights in Oregon. Allen was elected governor of Ohio in 1873. Both of Ohio's sculptures in the Capitol were created by Charles H. Niehaus.

There is also a statue of Ulysses S. Grant, the great Civil War General and 18th President of the United States, in the Capitol. Although Grant did not live in Ohio at the time he was elected president, he was born in Point Pleasant, Ohio in 1822. Grant lived there until 1839 when he departed for college at West Point.

One of my personal favorite sights in the Capitol is the portrait of the man the city of Dayton is named after. Jonathan Dayton was a Captain during the American Revolution and signer of the U.S. Constitution. After being elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from New Jersey, he became the fourth Speaker of the House. He also served in the U.S. Senate. In addition, Dayton became a major land speculator, including 250,000 acres in Ohio. Jonathan Dayton's painted portrait hangs at the bottom of the stairs outside the Speaker's lobby behind the House chamber.

Directly across from the Capitol is the Longworth House Office Building. I am proud to have my office in this building because it is named after the only House Speaker who represented the State of Ohio. The building was named in honor of Speaker Nicholas Longworth, from Cincinnati, Ohio. Longworth was married to Theodore Roosevelt's oldest daughter, Alice. Longworth served as Speaker from 1925-1931, which included the period when the building was authorized. There is also a portrait of Nicholas Longworth in the Speaker's Lobby.

Perhaps the most inspiring sight anywhere on the Capitol grounds is the frescoed frieze in the belt below the windows in the dome of the Capitol. Naturally, it involves famous Ohioans too. The fresco was designed by Constantino Brumidi, "The Artist of the Capitol." Brumidi prepared a sketch for the frieze in 1859, but work was not authorized to begin until 1877. Brumidi died in 1880 and his assistant Filippo Costaggi was hired to finish the eight remaining scenes. However, when Costaggi finished in 1889 a gap of 31 feet remained. Congress didn't allocate money to fill in the gap for approximately 60 years. In 1953 Allyn Cox completed the frieze with scenes of the Civil War, the Spanish-American War, and the Birth of Aviation. Thus, the panorama traces American history beginning with Columbus' discovery and ending with the Wright brothers and the birth of flight.

These are just a few of the great Ohioans that can be found on a tour of the Capitol grounds. Since Ohio's admission to the Union in 1803, we have been a pivotal state and made valuable contributions to American culture. Some of the most important Ohioans are prominently displayed in and around our nation's Capitol.

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