Wheeler Williams was an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 sculptor

Sculpture

Sculpture is three-dimensional artwork created by shaping or combining hard materials—typically stone such as marble—or metal, glass, or wood. Softer materials can also be used, such as clay, textiles, plastics, polymers and softer metals...

, born in Chicago, Illinois.

Life and career

Williams studied sculpture at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. He attended Yale where he graduated Magna cum Laude in 1919. He received a Master of Architecture degree from Harvard in 1922. Williams studied at the École des Beaux-Arts

École des Beaux-Arts

École des Beaux-Arts refers to a number of influential art schools in France. The most famous is the École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts, now located on the left bank in Paris, across the Seine from the Louvre, in the 6th arrondissement. The school has a history spanning more than 350 years,...

 in Paris.

He was one of a dozen sculptors invited to compete in the Pioneer Woman

Pioneer Woman

The Pioneer Woman monument is a bronze sculpture in Ponca City, Oklahoma, designed by Bryant Baker and dedicated on April 22, 1930. The statue is of a sunbonneted woman leading a child by the hand. It was donated to the State of Oklahoma by millionaire oilman E. W. Marland...

 statue competition in 1927. , which he failed to win. His model for that competition was later enlarged, cast and placed in front of the public library in Liberty, Kansas

Liberty, Kansas

Liberty is a city in Montgomery County, Kansas, United States. The population was 95 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Liberty is located at .According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all of it land....

.

Williams was a recipient of a Gould Medal at the Paris Exposition in 1937. He was a member of the National Academy, past president of the Fine Arts Federation of New York, and longtime president of the National Sculpture Society

National Sculpture Society

Founded in 1893, the National Sculpture Society was the first organization of professional sculptors formed in the United States. The purpose of the organization was to promote the welfare of American sculptors, although its founding members included several renowned architects. The founding...

. Wheeler was also the founder and president of the American Artist Professional League.

Political Involvement

Williams was a supporter of the House Un-American Activities Committee

House Un-American Activities Committee

The House Committee on Un-American Activities or House Un-American Activities Committee was an investigative committee of the United States House of Representatives. In 1969, the House changed the committee's name to "House Committee on Internal Security"...

's search for communist "reds" in the arts. He also protested the Congressional censure of Joseph McCarthy

Joseph McCarthy

Joseph Raymond "Joe" McCarthy was an American politician who served as a Republican U.S. Senator from the state of Wisconsin from 1947 until his death in 1957...

.

Williams also served on the jury for the Alger Hiss

Alger Hiss

Alger Hiss was an American lawyer, government official, author, and lecturer. He was involved in the establishment of the United Nations both as a U.S. State Department and U.N. official...

 treason trial.

Very active in Republican circles, many of Williams' commissions reflect his conservative positions (for example the Robert A. Taft Memorial

Robert A. Taft Memorial

The Robert A. Taft Memorial and Carillon is a carillon dedicated as a memorial to U.S. Senator Robert A. Taft, son of President William Howard Taft....

 in Washington, DC).

Public monuments

• 1930 "Tablets to Pioneers", Michigan Avenue Bridge, Chicago, IL
• 1935 "Communications" West Pediment of the Environmental Protection Agency
  United States Environmental Protection Agency
  The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is an agency of the federal government of the United States charged with protecting human health and the environment, by writing and enforcing regulations based on laws passed by Congress...
  
   Building (formerly Interstate Commerce Commission), Federal Triangle
  Federal Triangle
  The Federal Triangle is a triangular area in Washington, D.C. formed by 15th Street NW, Constitution Avenue NW, Pennsylvania Avenue NW, and E Street NW. Federal Triangle is occupied by 10 large city and federal office buildings, all of which are part of the Pennsylvania Avenue National Historic...
  
  , Washington, DC
• 1938 "Indian Bowman," United States Post Office-Canal Street Station
  United States Post Office-Canal Street Station
  The US Post Office-Canal Street Station, originally known as Station "B," is a historic post office building located in Manhattan, New York, United States. It was built in 1937, and designed by consulting architect Alan Balch Mills for the Office of the Supervising Architect...
  
  , New York, NY
• 1942 "Settlers of the Seaboard", Fairmont Park, Philadelphia, PA
• 1949 "The Venus of Manhattan", Madison Avenue Facade, Parke Bernet Gallery, New York, NY
• 1951 four servicemen sculpture on the Wall of the Missing, Cambridge American Cemetery and Memorial‎, Cambridge, England
• 1952 "Fountain of the Water Babies", Children's Hospital, Seattle, WA
• 1952 "Wave of Life", Houston Main Building (HMB) of The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center; was the Prudential S.W. regional office until 1974. Houston, TX
• 1955 "Robert A. Taft" plaque, Indian Hill Church Cemetery, Indian Hill, OH
• 1956 Commodore John Barry Memorial, Wexford
  Wexford
  Wexford is the county town of County Wexford, Ireland. It is situated near the southeastern corner of Ireland, close to Rosslare Europort. The town is connected to Dublin via the M11/N11 National Primary Route, and the national rail network...
  
  , Ireland
  Ireland
  Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
  
  
• 1959 "Robert A. Taft Memorial," Capitol Grounds, Washington, DC
• 1960 "Muse of the Missouri" Fountain, Kansas City, MO