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Congressman Bob Latta (R-Bowling Green) attended a ceremony celebrating the unveiling of the newest National Statuary Hall Collection figure, a statue of Thomas Edison, at the U.S. Capitol Building on Wednesday afternoon. The Edison likeness now joins a statue of President James Garfield as the two representatives from the state of Ohio depicted in the collection. The National Statuary Hall Collection features exactly two statues from each of the fifty states throughout the Capitol complex. The Thomas Edison statue will be featured along with 37 others in Statuary Hall, the room which served as the U.S. House of Representatives from 1807 until 1857, when the current House chamber was completed.    

“This depiction of one of our country’s greatest inventors, Thomas Edison, is a welcome addition to the Capitol building and Statuary Hall,” said Latta. “A native son of Ohio, Edison pushed the limits of what was possible, and it’s fitting that his statue features his most famous invention, the electric lightbulb. It took years of hard work, patience, and artistic skill to help make the Edison statue in Washington a reality, and I commend everyone that helped make it happen. ”

Thomas Edison was born in Milan, Ohio in 1847, and during his lifetime, Edison registered 1,093 patents with the U.S. government.

The 900-pound bronze statue stands nearly seven feet tall and was sculpted by Alan Cotrill, of Zanesville, Ohio. The previous Ohio statue was of former Governor William Allen. An online poll selected Edison as the replacement in 2010 and that choice was confirmed two years later by the General Assembly.

Congressman Latta in front of the Thomas Edison statue with the Wagoner family. Former State Senator Mark Wagoner spoke at the ceremony.
 
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