William J. Stone Memorial, (sculpture).

William J. Stone Memorial, (sculpture).

Hibbard, Frederick Cleveland, 1881-1950, sculptor.

Wight & Wight, architectural firm.

William J. Stone Memorial, (sculpture).

1934. Dedicated 1935.

Digital Reference:

Statue: bronze; Base: marble, granite, and limestone, with bronze frieze and bronze columns.

Statue: approx. H. 7 ft. 6 in. x W. 3 ft. 5 in.; Base: approx. W. 20 ft. x D. 4 ft. 6 in.

Frederick C. Hibbard, SC. (On center front of base, incised:) I STAND UNMOVED FOR AMERICA/(Missouri seal)/WILLIAM JOEL STONE/BORN IN/MADISON COUNTY KENTUCKY/MAY 7, 1848/DIED AT WASHINGTON D.C./APRIL 14, 1918/CONGRESSMAN 1885-1891/GOVERNOR 1893-1896/UNITED STATES SENATOR 1903-1918 (On plaque on front left side of base, raised:) A NOBLE MAN.WISE BRAVE/PATRIOTIC STATESMAN./UNTIRING CHAMPION OF THE/COMMON PEOPLE.UPHOLDER/OF CIVIL & RELIGIOUS/LIBERTY.DEFENDER OF THE CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS OF/NATION STATE AND HUMBLEST/CITIZEN.DEVOTED TO HIS/COUNTRY AND HIS STATE/HE NEVER FAILED A FRIEND/AVOIDED A FOE OR/SHUNNED A DUTY (On plaque on front right side of base, raised:) GOD IS AND IS GOOD./I AM FOR AMERICA/OUR AMERICA ABOVE ALL/THE WORLD.I STAND FOR/THE NATIONAL SOVEREIGNTY/IN NATIONAL AFFAIRS/AND STATE SOVEREIGNTY/IN LOCAL AFFAIRS.THE/PROSPERITY AND HAPPINESS/OF THE GREATEST POSSIBLE/NUMBER SHOULD BE THE/HIGHEST AIM OF GOVERNMENT./BE TRUE AND RENDER SERVICE signed

A memorial to William Joel Stone consisting of a statue, a base, and two benches, atop a stepped platform. The figure of William Joel Stone is dressed in a suit and thigh-length overcoat. His proper right arm is lowered to his side and his proper left arm is bent and his hand is placed on his front mid-section. The figure stands in front of a classical curved seat. The statue is placed atop a base that includes an inscribed central section flanked by two other sections with plaques. The base is decorated across the front top with an ornate frieze and fluted column reliefs on each side. There is an open area of platform in front of the statue and base, with two benches diagonal to one another on opposite sides.

Portrait male -- Stone, William Joel -- Full length

Occupation -- Political -- Congressman

Occupation -- Political -- Governor

Occupation -- Political -- Senator

Object -- Furniture -- Chair

Outdoor Sculpture -- Missouri -- Nevada

Vernon County Courthouse, Courthouse square, Nevada, Missouri

William Joel Stone, 1848-1918, served as a Congressman for Missouri from 1885-1891; as Governor of Missouri from 1893-1896; and as a Senator from 1903-1918. The 1933 Missouri legislature appropriated $15,000 for the memorial, and additional funding was attained from public subscription. IAS files contain the inscription of plaque on the back of the base which contains an excerpt from a speech which Senator Stone delivered April 4, 1917, opposing the declaration of war. IAS files contain an article from the Columbia Tribune (Columbia, MO), May 7, 1934; a photograph and caption from The Missouri Democrat (Kansas City, MO), Feb. 1, 1935, pg. 3, and related material.

Save Outdoor Sculpture, Missouri survey, 1995.

Missouri State Museum, 2019.

The Missouri Democrat (Kansas City, MO), Feb. 1, 1935, pg. 3.

For model see: 27620022.

The information provided about this artwork was compiled as part of the Smithsonian American Art Museum's Inventories of American Painting and Sculpture database, designed to provide descriptive and location information on artworks by American artists in public and private collections worldwide.

Inventories of American Painting and Sculpture, Smithsonian American Art Museum, P.O. Box 37012, MRC 970, Washington, D.C. 20013-7012

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