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REFERENCE TITLE: Sandra Day O'Connor; statuary hall |
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State of Arizona House of Representatives Fifty-sixth Legislature Second Regular Session 2024
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HJR 2002 |
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Introduced by Representatives Gress: Dunn, Terech; Senators Alston, Bennett, Gowan
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A Joint Resolution
urging the United States Congress to authorize the placement in statuary hall of a statue of justice sandra day o'connor and authorizing the Arizona historical advisory commission to organize and direct funding for creation of the statue for placement in statuary hall.
(TEXT OF BILL BEGINS ON NEXT PAGE)
Whereas, in 1864, Congress established the National Statuary Hall in the Old Hall of the House of Representatives in the United States Capitol and authorized each state to contribute to the Hall two statues that represent important historical figures of that state; and
Whereas, Arizona currently has statues on display in Statuary Hall of Senator Barry Goldwater, which was added in 2015, and Father Eusebio Kino, which was added in 1965. These are two acclaimed and distinguished individuals of great importance in Arizona's history; and
Whereas, Father Eusebio Kino was born in the Territory of the Bishopric of Trent, then part of the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation, on August 10, 1645. He was an Italian Jesuit, missionary, geographer, explorer, cartographer, mathematician and astronomer. He established the first mission in a river valley in the mountains of Sonora and journeyed across northern Mexico to present-day California and Arizona. Father Kino's maps were the most accurate of the region for more than 150 years after his death. He interacted with 16 different Indian tribes, including the Maricopa, Gila River Pima, Tohono O'odham, Western Apache and Yavapai, and he established the San Xavier del Bac Mission near Tucson. On July 11, 2020, Pope Francis declared Father Kino Venerable, advancing the cause of Kino's sainthood; and
Whereas, legislation enacted by Congress in 2000 authorized any state to request the Joint Committee on the Library of Congress to approve the replacement of a statue the state has provided for display in Statuary Hall under certain conditions; and
Whereas, it is appropriate at this time to consider honoring a distinguished Arizonan who has played a significant role in our state's history by placing her statutory in Statuary Hall, namely Justice Sandra Day O’Connor. This action in no way seeks to diminish the positive contributions of the two Arizonans already honored in Statuary Hall, and every effort will be made to ensure that their legacy is preserved in our great state; and
Whereas, it is appropriate that we honor Father Eusebio Kino's legacy by placing his statue prominently and permanently in the Arizona State Capitol building; and
Whereas, Sandra Day spent much of her childhood on her family’s 198,000-acre cattle ranch near Duncan, Arizona. She rode horses, participated in roundups, owned a .22-caliber rifle and shot coyotes. She developed Southwestern grit that would serve her for the remainder of her life. She attended Stanford University for her undergraduate and law degrees, was an editor on the Stanford Law Review and graduated with honors. She and her husband, John Jay O'Connor III, settled in Maricopa County to start their family. From 1965 to 1969 she served as Assistant Attorney General of Arizona. She served in the Arizona Senate and became the first woman to serve as Arizona's Senate Majority Leader, the first in the nation to hold this position for any state legislature; and
Whereas, Sandra Day O'Connor was appointed to the Maricopa County Superior Court in 1974, and then rose to the Arizona Court of Appeals in 1979. In 1981 she was nominated by President Ronald Reagan for the United States Supreme Court and was unanimously confirmed by the United States Senate. Justice O'Connor served on the United States Supreme Court until 2006, nearly a quarter century, when she retired. Following her retirement, she founded the Sandra Day O'Connor Institute for American Democracy, based in Phoenix, to advance civil discourse, civic engagement and civics education; and
Whereas, one of the few Supreme Court justices to have served in all three branches of government, Justice Sandra Day O'Connor was a quintessential westerner and Arizonan with a longstanding reputation for intelligence, fairness, compromise and bringing people together. Her legacy has been a source of inspiration to Arizonans and Americans, and the placement of a statue in her likeness in Statuary Hall would be a well-deserved and lasting testament to her tremendous impact on both our state and nation.
Therefore
Be it resolved by the Legislature of the State of Arizona:
1. That the Members of the Fifty-sixth Legislature and the Governor of the State of Arizona respectfully request that the Congress of the United States return the statue of Father Eusebio Kino earlier presented by the State of Arizona for placement in Statuary Hall and accept in return, for placement in Statuary Hall, a statue of Justice Sandra Day O'Connor.
2. That the Members of the Fifty-sixth Legislature and the Governor of the State of Arizona direct the Arizona Historical Advisory Commission, in collaboration with the Sandra Day O'Connor Institute, to organize a solicitation for monies for the creation of a statue of Justice Sandra Day O’Connor; to use the monies to acquire a statue for placement in Statuary Hall in the Capitol of this nation; to select and contract with a gifted and experienced sculptor to create a suitable statue of Justice Sandra Day O’Connor; and to make the statue available for placement in Statuary Hall.
3. That the Members of the Fifty-sixth Legislature and the Governor of the State of Arizona direct that the costs of the creation of the statue of Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, as well as the costs of transporting the statue to Washington, D.C., and any incidental costs, be borne by the State of Arizona through the use of private monies.
4. That the Secretary of State transmit copies of this Resolution to the President of the United States Senate, the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, each Member of Congress from the State of Arizona, each Member of the Joint Committee on the Library of Congress, each Member of the Arizona Historical Advisory Commission and the Cochairpersons of the Board of Directors and the President of the Sandra Day O'Connor Institute.