Minnesota Considers Swapping Statues in National Statuary Hall in DC
The Minnesota Legislature voted in 2025 to replace the statue of former U.S. Sen. Henry Mower Rice with one of former Vice President Hubert H. Humphrey in the National Statuary Hall in Washington, D.C. The new Humphrey statue was installed in late 2025.
Humphrey’s Influential Career
Humphrey, who attended the University of Minnesota and helped create the state’s Democratic-Farmer-Labor (DFL) Party, served three terms in the U.S. Senate from 1949 to 1964.
He was the lead author of the landmark Civil Rights Act of 1964 and served as vice president from 1965 to 1969 under President Lyndon B. Johnson. Humphrey died in 1978.
Committee Advances Proposal
The House Rules Committee made significant progress in April 2024 by advancing the proposal to request the Joint Committee on the Library of Congress for the change. The proposal was reintroduced and passed in the 2025 legislative session.
According to House Majority Leader Jamie Long (DFL-Minneapolis), the bill estimates that the state would invest approximately $300,000 to create a new Humphrey statue and deliver it to the U.S. Capitol.
The Rice statue was then transferred to the Minnesota Historical Society.
Honoring Minnesota’s Prominent Figures
Each state has two statue spaces in Statuary Hall.
The current statues now represent Humphrey and former professor of rhetoric and education, Maria Sanford.
Rice’s statue, which had been in place since 1916, met the requirement of having been installed for at least 10 years to be eligible for replacement.
Congressional guidelines mandate that state statues depict “deceased persons who have been citizens thereof, and illustrious for their historic renown or for distinguished civic or military services.”
Advocating for Humphrey’s Representation
Long argued that Humphrey, who had a profound impact on U.S. history, would be a strong representative for Minnesota in the National Statuary Hall.
Authors and historians echoed this sentiment during the committee hearing, citing Humphrey’s contributions to civil rights advances.
“He was a spirited and strong public supporter, and his political support helped us in our early struggles for the rights of our people,” said Josie R. Johnson, a community organizer and former University of Minnesota regent. “We were friends and colleagues working on our shared political and social issues.”
The legislation passed both the House and Senate in 2025, leading to the successful installation of the Humphrey statue.
