The United States expanded both in geography and population in the mid-1800s. As pioneers settled in the west, new territories joined the United States, and Congress began to grow. The U.S. Capitol began to swell with new legislators, and office space in the Capitol -- which was shared by the Senate, House of Representatives, Library of Congress, and Supreme Court -- was limited. Members were left with cramped, inadequate office space, or forced to seek work space off the Capitol grounds. On July 4, 1851, President Millard Fillmore laid the cornerstone for the House expansion. The House and Senate chambers were finished by the end of the 1850s.
In 1864, Representative Justin Morrill proposed using the recently vacated House chamber, in between the Capitol Rotunda and the new House chamber, to display statues of prominent figures from each state. Congress passed legislation on July 2, 1864, to create National Statuary Hall. As the Hall began to fill with statues, the historic room became overcrowded and the appearance deteriorated. Congress passed a resolution in 1933 to allow for the dispersion of statues to other rooms and wings of the Capitol. A unique and diverse collection of 100 statutes, two from each state, now make up the collection. For more information about the origin of the National Statuary Hall Collection, visit the Architect of the Capitol's website.
Former members of the Senate Judiciary Committee are represented in the National Statuary Hall Collection. Eight members have been honored by their home states with statues in the Collection, including:
; "Daniel Webster Thumb") |
; "John Clayton Thumb") John Middleton Clayton Delaware, Committee Member: 1833-1835 |
; "Jacob Collamer Thumb") Jacob Collamer Vermont, Committee Member: 1857-1859 |
; "John Ingalls Thumb") John James Ingalls Kansas, Committee Member: 1879-1891 |
; "James George Thumb") James Zachariah George Mississippi, Committee Member: 1887-1895 |
; "William Borah Thumb") William Edgar Borah Idaho, Committee Member: 1909-1939 |
; "Huey Long Thumb") Huey Pierce Long Louisiana, Committee Member: 1933-1935 |
 Patrick Anthony McCarran Nevada, Committee Member: 1933-1953 |
The complete list of statues in the National Statuary Hall Collection is available online. *Daniel Webster was a Representative from New Hampshire (1813-1817) and later elected as a Representative and Senator from Massachusetts. The statue, however, was a gift from New Hampshire.
