DES MOINES – Gov. Terry E. Branstad and Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds today announced a statue of former U.S. Senator James Harlan has returned to Iowa from Washington, D.C., and will be unveiled next week at Iowa Wesleyan College in Mount Pleasant.
The Harlan statue represented Iowa at the U.S. Capitol from 1910 until this year when it was replaced with one of the late Dr. Norman Borlaug of Cresco. The Iowa Legislature voted to put the Harlan statue on permanent loan from the state of Iowa to Iowa Wesleyan where it will be unveiled at 2 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 28, 2014. More information is available at www.iwc.edu/Harlan.
“Senator Harlan has a strong historical connection to Iowa Wesleyan, so we are very pleased his statue will have a permanent home there,” Branstad said Monday during his regular weekly press conference. “The unveiling will also be a historic event because it is the first time we’ve had a statue of this significance come back from the U.S. Capitol. I’m looking forward to being at the unveiling and invite all Iowans to learn more about Senator Harlan.”
“The unveiling of the Harlan statue will be a proud moment for our state,” Reynolds said. “Senator Harlan’s commitment to public service and education is inspiring. I am very pleased his statue will be at Iowa Wesleyan where students, faculty and staff and visitors can be reminded of the legacy he has in Iowa and the United States.”
Harlan became president of Iowa Wesleyan in 1853 before being elected to the U.S. Senate in 1855. He also served as Secretary of the Interior and was considered a close friend and advisor to President Abraham Lincoln. Harlan’s daughter, Mary, married Robert Todd Lincoln, the 16th president’s son, and the couple’s Mount Pleasant home sits on the north end of the Iowa Wesleyan campus and is known as the Harlan-Lincoln House. Harlan died in Mount Pleasant in 1899 and is buried in Forest Home Cemetery.
“The installation of Senator James Harlan’s statue will be an historic event and a proud moment for us,” Iowa Wesleyan College President Steven Titus said during the press conference. “We are very pleased to have the statue in Mount Pleasant. It represents Harlan’s achievements as a two-time president of Iowa Wesleyan and as a public servant. Harlan was determined to advance the mission of the college and the impact he had on Iowa Wesleyan is remarkable.”
The creation of the Borlaug statue and relocation of the Harlan statue was led by the Dr. Norman E. Borlaug Statue Committee appointed by Gov. Branstad and chaired by Ambassador Kenneth M. Quinn. The Department of Cultural Affairs provided administrative support to the Borlaug Committee.
The Harlan statue had been on display in the U.S. Capitol as part of the National Statuary Hall Collection, which holds and displays two statues of notable citizens from every state in the nation. The other statue representing Iowa is of former Iowa Governor Samuel Kirkwood.
“When we’re discussing the Harlan statue, it is important to note that it is one of just three statues to represent Iowa in the National Statuary Hall Collection, which is considered one the most prominent collections of sculpted works in the world,” DCA Director Cownie said. “To have this statue coming back to Iowa, to be on display in a public setting at Iowa Wesleyan, combines the highest levels of artistic and historical significance in one piece for all to see and enjoy.”
In 2011, the Iowa Legislature approved a resolution to replace the statue of Sen. Harlan with one of Borlaug, who received the Nobel Peace Prize, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, and the Congressional Gold Medal for his work in developing new varieties of wheat. Borlaug is credited with saving a billion people around the world from hunger and starvation.
The unveiling of the Harlan statue coincides with a number of other events being held Thursday, Aug. 28, 2014, throughout Mount Pleasant and include Opening Ceremonies at the Midwest Old Threshers Reunion at 11:30 a.m. at 405 East Threshers Road and the 1:15 p.m. Ribbon Cutting Celebration of the 1861 Union Block Building located at 111 West Monroe Street. The Harlan-Lincoln House on the Iowa Wesleyan College campus will also be open for tours from 3-5 p.m.
