Daniel W. Voorhees (bust)
Encyclopedia
Daniel W. Voorhees is a public artwork by American
artist James Paxton Voorhees, located on the second floor alcove of the Indiana Statehouse behind the tourism desk. The statehouse is located in Indianapolis, Indiana
, United States
. Daniel W. Voorhees
, nicknamed the "Tall Sycamore of the Wabash" for his tall stature, large head and broad shoulders, was a distinguished Indiana politician of the 19th century.
sculpture that has been painted white. The bust measures 31 inches (78.7 cm) by 27 inches (68.6 cm) by 18 inches (45.7 cm). Voorhees gazes slightly upward to his proper left, and his proper right eyebrow is raised. His hair is combed away from a side part on the proper left of his scalp. His handlebar moustache obscures his mouth and reaches his chin in length. A frock coat with a notched lapel is worn over a vest and a high-collared shirt buttoned up to the neck, where a stock-tie is fastened into a bow. The bust sits upon a pedestal of olive branches that partially envelope a coat of arms or crest, which feature eleven stars and seven stripes.
A plaque beneath the bust provides the following information: "Daniel Wolsey Voorhees; born 9-26-1827 – died 4-9-1897; Congressman 1861–1865, 1868–1873; United States Senator 1877–1897; Trial lawyer; Orator; Proponent for the Library of Congress
."
' son, James P. Voorhees (1855–1936). The younger Voorhees spent 21 years as a secretary for his father. After the elder Voorhees' death in 1897, James P. Voorhees completed a bust of his father to memorialize his contribution to the establishment of the Library of Congress, which included planning and championing for the cause as chairman of a Senate committee. The bust was presented to Governor James Frank Hanly
(1905–1909) for the Indiana Statehouse.
joined Indiana and the bust of Voorhees on the third floor.
An additional copy of Daniel W. Voorhees can be found at the Vigo County Historical Society in Terre Haute, Indiana. This bust was donated to the Emeline Fairbanks Memorial Library in Terra Haute in 1906.
, in 1895. The bust was placed in a niche in the United States Senate
chamber. A year later, James P. Voorhees was nominated to sculpt a bust of the 14th Vice President of the United States, John C. Breckinridge
. James P. Voorhees also completed busts of Thomas Jefferson
and Napoleon Bonaparte.
The bill garnered endorsements from prominent actors of the time, such as Richard Mansfield
, Henry Irving
, E.H. Sothern, Henry E. Dixey
, and Frank Daniels
. It was introduced to the United States House of Representatives
by Mr. Miers of Indiana on December 18, 1902.
, later known as the Van Buren Hotel. James P. Voorhees also corresponded with James Whitcomb Riley
, known as the “Hoosier Poet.”
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
artist James Paxton Voorhees, located on the second floor alcove of the Indiana Statehouse behind the tourism desk. The statehouse is located in Indianapolis, Indiana
Indianapolis
Indianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Daniel W. Voorhees
Daniel W. Voorhees
Daniel Wolsey Voorhees was a lawyer and United States Senator from Indiana, who was leader of the Democratic party and an anti-war Copperhead during the American Civil War.-Biography:...
, nicknamed the "Tall Sycamore of the Wabash" for his tall stature, large head and broad shoulders, was a distinguished Indiana politician of the 19th century.
Description
Daniel W. Voorhees is a plasterPlaster
Plaster is a building material used for coating walls and ceilings. Plaster starts as a dry powder similar to mortar or cement and like those materials it is mixed with water to form a paste which liberates heat and then hardens. Unlike mortar and cement, plaster remains quite soft after setting,...
sculpture that has been painted white. The bust measures 31 inches (78.7 cm) by 27 inches (68.6 cm) by 18 inches (45.7 cm). Voorhees gazes slightly upward to his proper left, and his proper right eyebrow is raised. His hair is combed away from a side part on the proper left of his scalp. His handlebar moustache obscures his mouth and reaches his chin in length. A frock coat with a notched lapel is worn over a vest and a high-collared shirt buttoned up to the neck, where a stock-tie is fastened into a bow. The bust sits upon a pedestal of olive branches that partially envelope a coat of arms or crest, which feature eleven stars and seven stripes.
A plaque beneath the bust provides the following information: "Daniel Wolsey Voorhees; born 9-26-1827 – died 4-9-1897; Congressman 1861–1865, 1868–1873; United States Senator 1877–1897; Trial lawyer; Orator; Proponent for the Library of Congress
Library of Congress
The Library of Congress is the research library of the United States Congress, de facto national library of the United States, and the oldest federal cultural institution in the United States. Located in three buildings in Washington, D.C., it is the largest library in the world by shelf space and...
."
Historical information
The artist of Daniel W. Voorhees was Daniel W. VoorheesDaniel W. Voorhees
Daniel Wolsey Voorhees was a lawyer and United States Senator from Indiana, who was leader of the Democratic party and an anti-war Copperhead during the American Civil War.-Biography:...
' son, James P. Voorhees (1855–1936). The younger Voorhees spent 21 years as a secretary for his father. After the elder Voorhees' death in 1897, James P. Voorhees completed a bust of his father to memorialize his contribution to the establishment of the Library of Congress, which included planning and championing for the cause as chairman of a Senate committee. The bust was presented to Governor James Frank Hanly
Frank Hanly
James Franklin Hanly was a United States politician who served as a congressman from Indiana from 1895 until 1897, and was the 26th Governor of Indiana from 1905 to 1909...
(1905–1909) for the Indiana Statehouse.
Location history
In 1943, Daniel W. Voorhees was located on the southeast corner pier of the third floor of the Indiana Statehouse, facing south. It was accompanied by Indiana, a sculpture which was located in the southwest corner pier. At the time, all other niches on the third floor were empty. By 1982, in the northwest corner pier, Indiana State StoneIndiana state stone (sculpture)
Indiana state stone is a public sculpture at the Indiana Statehouse in downtown Indianapolis. It is an cube of Indiana Limestone that is mounted on a wooden, rotating dolly. It was carved from limestone quarried from the P. M. & B. limestone quarry located in southern Indiana...
joined Indiana and the bust of Voorhees on the third floor.
An additional copy of Daniel W. Voorhees can be found at the Vigo County Historical Society in Terre Haute, Indiana. This bust was donated to the Emeline Fairbanks Memorial Library in Terra Haute in 1906.
Artist
James P. Voorhees was a sculptor, an actor, and a published author. He completed a bust of the ninth Vice President of the United States, Richard Mentor JohnsonRichard Mentor Johnson
Richard Mentor Johnson was the ninth Vice President of the United States, serving in the administration of Martin Van Buren . He was the only vice-president ever elected by the United States Senate under the provisions of the Twelfth Amendment. Johnson also represented Kentucky in the U.S...
, in 1895. The bust was placed in a niche in the United States Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
chamber. A year later, James P. Voorhees was nominated to sculpt a bust of the 14th Vice President of the United States, John C. Breckinridge
John C. Breckinridge
John Cabell Breckinridge was an American lawyer and politician. He served as a U.S. Representative and U.S. Senator from Kentucky and was the 14th Vice President of the United States , to date the youngest vice president in U.S...
. James P. Voorhees also completed busts of Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson was the principal author of the United States Declaration of Independence and the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom , the third President of the United States and founder of the University of Virginia...
and Napoleon Bonaparte.
Actor
In September 1897, five months after his father's death, James P. Voorhees performed a series of lecture-monologues with a style of oratory that reminded audience members of the senior Voorhees. A year later, James P. Voorhees started work on a bill to support the establishment of a national theater in Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
The bill garnered endorsements from prominent actors of the time, such as Richard Mansfield
Richard Mansfield
Richard Mansfield was an English actor-manager best known for his performances in Shakespeare plays, Gilbert and Sullivan operas and for his portrayal of the dual title roles in Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde....
, Henry Irving
Henry Irving
Sir Henry Irving , born John Henry Brodribb, was an English stage actor in the Victorian era, known as an actor-manager because he took complete responsibility for season after season at the Lyceum Theatre, establishing himself and his company as...
, E.H. Sothern, Henry E. Dixey
Henry E. Dixey
Henry E. Dixey was an American actor and theatre producer. He was born January 6, 1859 in Boston, Massachusetts. He made his stage debut in Boston in 1868, joining the variety stock actors at the Howard Athenaeum, where in 1869 he played the character Peanuts in the Augustin Daly play Under the...
, and Frank Daniels
Frank Daniels
Frank Albert Daniels was a comedian, an actor on stage and in early black-and-white films, and a singer....
. It was introduced to the United States House of Representatives
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
by Mr. Miers of Indiana on December 18, 1902.
Author
James P. Voorhees was a published author of several works of poetry and stories, including Caverns of Dawn (1910). His work, Flaws: A Story of Hoosierlands (1925) was written while living at the Hendrix Hotel in Plainfield, IndianaPlainfield, Indiana
As of the census of 2000, there were 18,396 people, 7,051 households, and 4,914 families residing in the town. The population density was 1,023.1 people per square mile . There were 7,449 housing units at an average density of 414.3 per square mile...
, later known as the Van Buren Hotel. James P. Voorhees also corresponded with James Whitcomb Riley
James Whitcomb Riley
James Whitcomb Riley was an American writer, poet, and best selling author. During his lifetime he was known as the Hoosier Poet and Children's Poet for his dialect works and his children's poetry respectively...
, known as the “Hoosier Poet.”
See also
- Abraham Lincoln (Jones)
- Ashbel Parsons Willard (Dexter)
- George Rogers Clark (McLary)
- George Washington (Houdon)
- List of public art at the Indiana Statehouse