Congress to unveil Amelia Earhart statue 23 years after Kansas pushed to honor Kansas aviator
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Kansas aviation pioneer and advocate for women's equal rights Amelia Earhart will be honored this week with a bronze statue in Congress, an effort that has taken more than two decades to accomplish.
Congress will unveil the statue Wednesday, making Earhart the 11th woman enshrined in the National Statuary Hall Collection.
The effort has taken 23 years since the Kansas Legislature voted in 1999 to replace the state's two statues with Earhart and President Dwight D. Eisenhower. It took four years to get Eisenhower's statue in Congress.
"The time is long overdue for Amelia Earhart to take her rightful place in American history at the U.S. Capitol," said Karen Seaberg, founder and president of the Atchison Amelia Earhart Foundation, in a statement. "The new Amelia Earhart statue will stand as a symbol of her determination, tenacity and courage that will inspire future generations — particularly women and girls."
Sunday marks 125 years since Earhart's birthday; she was born July 24, 1897, in Atchison. In 1932, she was the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean. She disappeared in 1937, along with her plan and navigator, in 1937 while attempting to be the first woman to circumnavigate the world.
"Her fearless spirit was revolutionary and her trailblazing life continues to be remarkably relevant today," said Jacque Pregont, committee chair of the Atchison Amelia Earhart Foundation, in a statement.
More: Amelia Earhart, Melissa Etheridge among Kansas' influential Women of the Century
Kansas was first state to replace a statue
Kansas was similarly a trailblazer as the first state to change a congressional statue.
When the state moved in 1999 to replace its statues, there was no legal framework to do so. The Associated Press reported at the time that no state had gotten permission to replace a statue in the 135-year-old National Statuary Hall Collection.
The original 1864 law allowed each state to provide two statues of notable citizens for display in the U.S. Capitol, but statues become property of the federal government upon their unveiling.
It wasn't the first time Kansas made such a request.
The AP reported that the Democrat-controlled Congress ignored a 1971 plea from Kansas to have Eisenhower, a former Republican president, replace the likeness of the state's first Democratic governor.
Congress changed the law in 2000, when Republicans were in control, despite J. Carter Brown, then-chairman of Washington's Fine Arts Commission, cautioning at the time about setting a precedent.
"I think Congress has to weigh whether it means this constant revisionism going on, and that gets very political," he said. "Perhaps it's better to leave things where they are, even if they're not ideal, by virtue of what you are opening up."
Since then, some state have taken steps to replace Confederate soldiers and other officials with more diverse representation. Virginia in 2020 announced that African-American civil rights activist Barbara Johns would replace Civil War Gen. Robert E. Lee.
Who did Dwight D. Eisenhower and Amelia Earhart replace?
The Eisenhower statue was dedicated on June 4, 2003. Ike replaced George Washington Glick, who was a Union soldier, state legislator and the first Democrat to be elected governor.
The marble Glick statue was sent back to Topeka.
Earhart replaces John James Ingalls, who coined the state's Ad Astra Per Aspera motto. He was an abolitionist and driving force behind the Wyandotte Constitutional Convention, a key figure in Kansas politics of the 1800s and a U.S. senator for 18 years.
More: Early politician John J. Ingalls credited with coining state motto
"Amelia Earhart was a true Kansas pioneer who exemplifies our state motto: Ad Astra Per Aspera — To The Stars with Difficulty," Sen. Roger Marshall said in a statement. "It is fitting that Earhart replaces John James Ingalls statue in our Nation’s capital."
Earhart becomes the third Atchison resident to be honored in Congress. Glick and Ingalls settled in the northeast Kansas town.
The Ingalls statue is to be returned to Kansas.
Two decades of work
Unlike her fateful 1937 flights where Earhart never arrived at her destination, her statue will finally find itself landing in Washington, D.C., after two decades of work.
In 2011, The Capital-Journal reported that the fundraising effort for the Earhart statue "is almost ready to take flight" after a pair of replacement agreements were signed, first by Gov. Mark Parkinson then Gov. Sam Brownback.
At the time, Earhart would have been the seventh woman honored in the statue collection in and around Statuary Hall, a frequent stop for tourists.
More: Amelia's monument about to take flight
Roll Call reported in 2019 that the bronze statue was complete, but the pedestal still needed approval. At that point, Earhart would have been the ninth woman.
The Roll Call report the 1999-2010 efforts as "a bureaucratic purgatory" until Equal Visibility Everywhere took over the project. Three years later, a group of Kansans took the lead. Then in 2016, the group formed the Atchison Amelia Earhart Foundation, which financed the statue. They had expected it to be installed in 2018.
When Sens. Marshall and Jerry Moran announced the statue's approval from the Architect of the Capitol last month, Earhart was expected to be the 10th woman.
But she was beaten out earlier this month by Mary McLeod Bethune, the first Black person with a state-commissioned statue in Congress. The educator and advocate for civil and women's rights replaced a Confederate general from Florida.
"Guided by Amelia’s legacy of determination and perseverance, we’re excited to finally bring Amelia Earhart to National Statuary Hall to honor her enduring influence as a pioneering American aviator who passionately championed equal opportunity for all, regardless of gender," said Pregont, of the Atchison Amelia Earhart Foundation.
Pilot represents Air Capitol of the World
"A bold and inspiring aviator, Amelia Earhart soared into the history books, setting flight records and breaking barriers," Moran said in a statement. "She led the way for thousands of women to pursue their dreams — whether that was in aviation or to break their own, new barriers."
Marshall touted the state's aviation industry.
"Today, Kansas is known as the Air Capitol of the World and the placement of the Earhart Statue in our nation’s capital furthers our commitment to that industry," Marshall said.
An unveiling reception is sponsored by Wichita-based Spirit AeroSystems, Blue Origin, which has a Kansas supply base, and Airbus America, which has an engineering center in Wichita.
Sculptors George and Mark Lundeen created the bronze statue. They "captured her spirit," said Bram Kleppner, the grandson of Earhart's sister, in a statement on behalf of the Earhart family.
The foundation has also spearheaded the Amelia Earhart Hanger Museum, which is set to open next year in Atchison and will house an identical statue.
More: What happened to Amelia Earhart? This $15 million Kansas museum will honor the pilot's legacy
"Though she disappeared on her flight around the world, Amelia Earhart did not leave a tragic legacy," said Seaberg, of the Atchison Amelia Earhart Foundation. "Instead, her story is one of daring, bravery and perseverance. Her life and legacy continue to inspire people across the U.S. — and around the globe — to courageously pursue their dreams."
Jason Tidd is a statehouse reporter for the Topeka Capital-Journal. He can be reached by email at jtidd@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @Jason_Tidd.
This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Kansas finds a spot in Congress for statue of pilot Amelia Earhart
