Statue of William McKinley (Canton, Ohio)

Sculpture by Haig Patigian

Statue of William McKinley

The statue at its former location in Arcata

Artist| Haig Patigian
Year| 1906 (1906)
Subject| William McKinley
Dimensions| 2.6 m (8.5 ft)
Location| Canton, Ohio (formerly Arcata, California)

The Statue of William McKinley is a 8.5-foot (2.6 m) bronze statue of President of the United States William McKinley. The statue, sculpted by Haig Patigian, stood in the center of the town plaza in Arcata, California, from 1906 to 2019, when it was moved to Canton, Ohio.

Inscriptions on the original pedestal of the McKinley statue. At top is inscribed the sculptor's name, and below, the statue's dedication.

This statue of McKinley was commissioned by 81-year-old 49'er George Zehndner in 1905.[1]: 22 Zehndner had met McKinley in 1901 and was much impressed by "the first modern president".[2] The president's assassination soon after moved Zehndner to memorialize the president.[citation needed] Zehndner paid $15,000 for the nine-foot statue.[1]: 22 The statue was sculpted by Haig Patigian in San Francisco, California,[1]: 22 where it fell over during the 1906 San Francisco earthquake but was cushioned by a large plaster model that had braced its fall. The artist discovered his statue lying down in a foundry near the waterfront south of Market Street in San Francisco.[citation needed] Patigian feared his statue might melt, but he had to leave it since it was too large for him to move.[citation needed] A week later, the foundry owner told Patigian that the statue had been destroyed.[citation needed]

Patigian later discovered that his statue of McKinley had been saved from the burning foundry by the employee of a nearby machine shop, along with several passersby.[1]: 22 They had hauled the statue onto a truck, which succumbed to the flames.[citation needed] The statue was moved by steamboat to the nearby port town of Eureka in May 1906. Zehndner presented the statue to the city of Arcata on July 4, 1906, as "a gift to the city of Arcata for all time to come."[1]: 22 Two thousand people, more visitors than the town had ever received, came to Arcata for the unveiling.[citation needed]

The statue, formerly located in the middle of the Arcata Plaza, was in the center of the town's cultural activity.[1]: 22 The statue had been embroiled in controversy in Arcata, a liberal college town in Humboldt County, California, since the 1970s.[1]: 22 Opponents of the statue decried McKinley's allegedly racist and imperialistic policies, while defenders supported the statue's historical importance and characterized removal attempts as censorship.[1]: 22 On February 21, 2018, the Arcata City Council voted to remove the statue from the plaza. Councilmembers who cast their vote in favor of removal were Paul Pitino (motion), Susan Ornelas (second), Arcata Vice Mayor Brett Watson and Mayor Sofia Pereira. Following this controversy a public referendum was held and the people of Arcata voted on whether to keep the statue. The people voted against the measure and ensured that the statue be moved and replaced.[3] Community members of Arcata fought for the removal of the statue, citing McKinley's annexing of tribal lands in the western U.S. and Hawaii, and the racist ties that the former president maintained while in office. A demand was set for a new marker, replacing a plaque referring to a “time of Indian troubles,” to remind residents of Arcata about the area's Indigenous residents and the pre-colonial history of the area.[4]

In February 2019, the Arcata City Council approved a measure to relocate the statue to Canton, Ohio,[5] and on February 28, the statue was removed from the Plaza in preparation for its relocation.[6] A nearby plaque on the plaza containing what many considered racially insensitive language regarding local native history was also removed in 2018.[7][8]

In July 2022, it was announced that the Stark County, Ohio courthouse would be the location of the statue, with a local foundation donating the costs of statue restoration and placement.[9] The Timken Foundation purchased the statue for $15,000 and transported it to Ohio where it was restored. It was then moved to Louisville to have a new metal base installed, and was unveiled to the public in Canton October 21, 2023.[10] Ohio governor Mike DeWine and political advisor and McKinley historian Karl Rove gave speeches, and carnations were distributed to the crowd.[11]

## See also

[edit]

* List of sculptures of presidents of the United States
* Monument and memorial controversies in the United States

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b c d e f g h Arcata Union; Arcata Eye (2008). On This Day In Arcata. Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 978-0-7385-5682-6.
2. ^ Herhold, Scott (September 4, 2009). "Herhold Two McKinley Statues Two Very Different Towns". The Mercury News. Retrieved December 2, 2019.
3. ^ "Measure M: Initiative to Preserve McKinley Statue". ballotpedia.org. Retrieved February 18, 2019.
4. ^ https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/mckinley-statue-monument-arcata-tear-down-12704327.php
5. ^ "Arcata City Council Votes to Relocate McKinley Statue to Canton, Ohio". madriverunion.com. Retrieved February 21, 2019.
6. ^ "McKinley statue removed from Plaza, soon headed for Canton". madriverunion.com. Retrieved February 28, 2019.
7. ^ "Measure M | Arcata, CA".
8. ^ Hoover, Kevin (February 22, 2018). "CITY COUNCIL VOTES McKINLEY DOWN – statue and plaque to be removed". Mad River Union. Retrieved February 22, 2018.
9. ^ Byer, Kelly. "Stark courthouse eyed as location for renovated McKinley statue". Canton Repository. Retrieved December 2, 2022.
10. ^ Weir, Kelli (September 27, 2023). "From California to Ohio in 4 years: The William McKinley statue's long journey to Canton". The Repository.
11. ^ Balint, Ed (October 22, 2023). "Grand unveiling: President McKinley statue now on display at Stark County Courthouse". The Repository. Retrieved February 14, 2025.

## External links

[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Statue of William McKinley by Haig Patigian.

* [dead link] James Morgan, Osprey Online Fall 2001, Humboldt State University

* v
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William McKinley

* 25th President of the United States (1897–1901)
* 39th Governor of Ohio (1892–1896)

Life|

* 23rd Ohio Infantry Regiment
* Battle of South Mountain
* Coal miners' strike of 1873
* 1888 Republican National Convention
* McKinley Tariff
* 1896 United States presidential election
* William McKinley 1896 presidential campaign
* 1896 Republican National Convention
* Front porch campaign

Presidency
(timeline)|

* First inauguration of William McKinley
* Spanish–American War
* Philippine–American War
* Treaty of Paris (1898)
* Newlands Resolution
* Open Door Policy
* China Relief Expedition
* Hay–Pauncefote Treaty
* Dingley Act
* Erdman Act
* Forest Service Organic Administration Act of 1897
* Rivers and Harbors Act of 1899
* Refuse Act
* Lacey Act of 1900
* Gold Standard Act
* 1900 United States presidential election
* 1900 Republican National Convention
* Second inauguration of William McKinley
* Pan-American Exposition
* Assassination of William McKinley

Public image|

* McKinley at Home, Canton, Ohio
* McKinley National Memorial
* McKinley Monument
* William McKinley Presidential Library and Museum
* National McKinley Birthplace Memorial
* McKinley Birthplace Home and Research Center
* William McKinley Memorial
* McKinley Birthplace Memorial gold dollar
* William McKinley Monument
* Statues
* Canton, Ohio
* Chicago
* Mount McKinley

Family|

* Ida Saxton McKinley (wife)
* William McKinley Sr. (father)

* ← Grover Cleveland
* Theodore Roosevelt →

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