A statue of the nation’s first female state senator, Martha Hughes Cannon, has officially arrived in Washington, where it will represent Utah as a part of the U.S. Capitol’s National Statuary Hall Collection.

What You Need To Know

  • A statue of the nation’s first female state senator, Martha Hughes Cannon, has officially arrived in Washington, where it will represent Utah as a part of the U.S. Capitol’s National Statuary Hall Collection
  • House Speaker Mike Johnson, House Democratic Whip Katherine Clark, Utah’s two senators and other Beehive State House lawmakers were joined by relatives of Cannon for the new statue’s official dedication ceremony in the Capitol building on Wednesday
  • Cannon, described as a prominent suffragist by the state of Utah, became the United State’s first woman senator in a state legislature in the 1890’s, defeating her own husband in the race; She was also a doctor the youngest head surgeon at an all-female medical institution Speaker Johnson said
  • Each state is permitted to donate two statues to represent it as part of the National Statuary Hall Collection

House Speaker Mike Johnson, House Democratic Whip Katherine Clark, Utah’s two senators and other Beehive State House lawmakers were joined by relatives of Cannon for the new statue’s official dedication ceremony in the Capitol building on Wednesday. 

“Our building is filled with monuments to our nation's history and as those men and women stand tall, they remind us of where we have been, where we are and where we are going,” Johnson said at the Wednesday afternoon ceremony. “Today, Martha Hughes Cannon joins our ranks.” 

Cannon, described as a prominent suffragist by the state of Utah, became the United State’s first woman senator in a state legislature in the 1890’s, defeating her own husband in the race. Also the youngest head surgeon at an all-female medical institution, Johnson noted, Cannon received a degree in chemistry from what is now the University of Utah as well as a degree in medicine from the University of Michigan, where she was the only female in her class and made to sit separately from the men. 

Cannon’s leadership in the women’s rights movement at the time led her to speak about the topic in front of the House Judiciary Committee, Johnson said. Clark noted she also helped secure women’s right to vote in the Utah state constitution. 

“Through every chapter of our national story, the American people have been confronted with the same question: will we expand freedom and opportunity and dignity to more people or will we restrict power and privilege to a few?” Clark said on Wednesday. “The legacy of Dr. Martha Hughes Cannon is that history will always side with those like her who fight for freedom.” 

The Massachusetts Democrat said the statue was originally scheduled to arrive at the Capitol from Utah’s state capitol in 2020 – a year, she noted, that marked one century of suffrage for women and saw the nation elect its first female vice president in Kamala Harris. 

“But like the rest of us, Mattie’s travel plans in 2020 were delayed,” Clark said, using Cannon’s nickname of “Mattie.” 

Each state is permitted to donate two statues to represent it as part of the National Statuary Hall Collection. The Utah state legislature voted in 2018 to send Cannon’s statue to Washington to stand alongside its other one of Brigham Young.