Franklin Bachelder Simmons (January 11, 1839 – December 8, 1913) was a prominent American sculptor of the nineteenth century. Three of his statues are in the

National Statuary Hall Collection The National Statuary Hall Collection in the United States Capitol is composed of statues donated by individual states to honor persons notable in their history. Limited to two statues per state, the collection was originally set up in the old ...

, three of his busts are in the

United States Senate Vice Presidential Bust Collection The United States Senate Vice Presidential Bust Collection is a series of 46 busts in the United States Capitol, each one bearing the likenesses of a vice president of the United States. Each sculpture, from John Adams to Dick Cheney, honors the ...

, and his statue of

Ulysses S. Grant Ulysses S. Grant (born Hiram Ulysses Grant ; April 27, 1822July 23, 1885) was an American military officer and politician who served as the 18th president of the United States from 1869 to 1877. As Commanding General, he led the Union Ar ...

is in the

United States Capitol Rotunda The United States Capitol rotunda is the tall central rotunda of the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C. It has been described as the Capitol's "symbolic and physical heart". Built between 1818 and 1824, the rotunda is located below the ...

Biography

Simmons was born in

Webster Webster may refer to: People *Webster (surname), including a list of people with the surname *Webster (given name), including a list of people with the given name Places Canada *Webster, Alberta *Webster's Falls, Hamilton, Ontario United State ...

Maine Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and north ...

. He spent most of his childhood in

Bath, Maine Bath is a city in Sagadahoc County, Maine, in the United States. The population was 8,766 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Sagadahoc County, which includes one city and 10 towns. The city is popular with tourists, many drawn by its ...

and

Lewiston, Maine Lewiston (; ; officially the City of Lewiston, Maine) is List of cities in Maine, the second largest city in Maine and the most central city in Androscoggin County, Maine, Androscoggin County. The city lies halfway between Augusta, Maine, August ...

. He attended Bates College (then called the Maine State Seminary) in 1858. Simmons started sculpting and painting during childhood. He studied with

John Adams Jackson John Adams Jackson (November 5, 1825 – August 30, 1879) was a noted American sculptor. Life Jackson was born November 5, 1825 in Bath, Maine, and apprenticed to a machinist in Boston, where he gave evidence of talent by modelling a bust of Tho ...

. During the last two years of the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

, he moved to Washington, D.C. and modeled 24 portrait medallions of President

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation thro ...

, his Cabinet, and generals and admirals. The Union League of Philadelphia purchased most of the medallions. In 1867 Simmons received an honorary A.M. from Bates College and from Colby. Simmons went to live in Rome in 1868, but returned several times. Among his portrait busts are those of David D. Porter,

James G. Blaine James Gillespie Blaine (January 31, 1830January 27, 1893) was an American statesman and Republican politician who represented Maine in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1863 to 1876, serving as Speaker of the U.S. House of Representative ...

Francis Wayland Francis Wayland (March 11, 1796 – September 30, 1865), was an American Baptist minister, educator and economist. He was president of Brown University and pastor of the First Baptist Church in America in Providence, Rhode Island. In Washingto ...

, and

(1886). He is said to have made a female statue of ''The Wanderer'', meant to depict a Jewess wandering in the desert. He died in Rome, aged 74, and is buried in the Protestant Cemetery.

Selected works

* ''Bust of

Oren Cheney Oren Burbank Cheney (December 10, 1816 – December 22, 1903) was an American politician, minister, and statesman who was a key figure in the abolitionist movement in the United States during the later 19th century. Along with textile tycoon Be ...

'' (1861?), Bates College, Lewiston, Maine. Simmons sculpted this while a student at Bates College. * Soldiers' Monument (1866–68), Kennedy Park, Lewiston, Maine. * Soldiers and Sailors Monument (1867–69),

Bellingham Square Bellingham Square Historic District is a historic district encompassing the civic and commercial heart of Chelsea, Massachusetts. Roughly bounded by Broadway, Shawmut, Chestnut, and Shurtleff Streets, the district was almost entirely built in ...

, Chelsea, Massachusetts. * ''Penelope'' (marble, 1896), De Young Museum, San Francisco, California. Copies are at the Berkshire Museum in Pittsfield, Massachusetts; Lake Delaware Farm in Delhi, New York; the Detroit Institute of Arts; and the

Portland Museum of Art The Portland Museum of Art, or PMA, is the largest and oldest public art institution in the U.S. state of Maine. Founded as the Portland Society of Art in 1882. It is located in the downtown area known as The Arts District in Portland, Maine. Hi ...

in Portland, Maine. * ''Jochebed with the Infant Moses'' (marble, 1873), Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Massachusetts. * ''The Promised Land'' (marble, 1874),

Metropolitan Museum of Art The Metropolitan Museum of Art of New York City, colloquially "the Met", is the largest art museum in the Americas. Its permanent collection contains over two million works, divided among 17 curatorial departments. The main building at 1000 ...

, New York City. * Roger Williams Monument (bronze, 1874–77),

Roger Williams Park Roger Williams Park is an elaborately landscaped city park in Providence, Rhode Island and a historic district listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It is named after Roger Williams, the founder of the city of Providence and the pr ...

, Providence, Rhode Island. A bronze copy of his marble statue at the U.S. Capitol. * '' Edward T. Little'' (bronze, 1875–77), Edward Little High School, Auburn, Maine. * ''Bust of William B. Wood (marble, 1860),''

Lewiston Public Library The Lewiston Public Library is a historic public Carnegie library at Park and Pine Street in Lewiston, Maine. History In 1902 Andrew Carnegie donated $60,000 for a new granite building with the understanding that the city would fund staff, book ...

, Lewiston, Maine * ''Bust of Lyman Nichols (marble, 1860),''

, Lewiston, Maine * ''Bust of Admiral

David Dixon Porter David Dixon Porter (June 8, 1813 – February 13, 1891) was a United States Navy admiral and a member of one of the most distinguished families in the history of the U.S. Navy. Promoted as the second U.S. Navy officer ever to attain the rank o ...

'' (marble, 1876),

United States Naval Academy The United States Naval Academy (US Naval Academy, USNA, or Navy) is a federal service academy in Annapolis, Maryland. It was established on 10 October 1845 during the tenure of George Bancroft as Secretary of the Navy. The Naval Academy ...

, Annapolis, Maryland. * ''Miriam'' (year?) * ''Medusa'' (1882) * ''Galatea'' (1884) * ''Senator

Oliver P. Morton Oliver Hazard Perry Throck Morton (August 4, 1823 – November 1, 1877), commonly known as Oliver P. Morton, was a U.S. Republican Party politician from Indiana. He served as the 14th governor (the first native-born) of Indiana during the Americ ...

'' (bronze, 1884), Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument, Indianapolis, Indiana. * ''The Seraph Abdiel'' (from "Paradise Lost") (1886). * ''

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (February 27, 1807 – March 24, 1882) was an American poet and educator. His original works include "Paul Revere's Ride", ''The Song of Hiawatha'', and ''Evangeline''. He was the first American to completely transl ...

'' (bronze, 1887), Longfellow Square,

Portland, Maine Portland is the largest city in the U.S. state of Maine and the seat of Cumberland County. Portland's population was 68,408 in April 2020. The Greater Portland metropolitan area is home to over half a million people, the 104th-largest metropol ...

. * Soldiers' Monument (1888–91), Monument Square, Congress Street,

Richard Morris Hunt Richard Morris Hunt (October 31, 1827 – July 31, 1895) was an American architect of the nineteenth century and an eminent figure in the history of American architecture. He helped shape New York City with his designs for the 1902 entrance fa� ...

, architect. * ''Bust of

Robert Treat Paine Robert Treat Paine (March 11, 1731 – May 11, 1814) was an American lawyer, politician and Founding Father of the United States who signed the Continental Association and the Declaration of Independence as a representative of Massachusetts. ...

'' (marble, 1892), Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Massachusetts. * ''Equestrian Statue of

Major General John A. Logan ''Major General John A. Logan'', also known as the General John A. Logan Monument and Logan Circle Monument, is an equestrian statue in Washington, D.C. that honors politician and American Civil War, Civil War general John A. Logan. The monume ...

'', cast in Rome by

Alessandro Nelli Alessandro Nelli (Rome, 28 January 1842 – Russia?, after 1897) was an Italian entrepreneur. Nelli was the founder of the Fonderia Nelli (Nelli Foundry), which was the leading sculpture foundry in Rome from 1880 to 1900. He participated to nation ...

(bronze, 1892–1901), Logan Circle, Washington, D.C.,

, architect. * ''Alexander Hamilton'' (bronze, 1905–06), Great Falls of the Passaic Overlook Park, Paterson, New Jersey. * ''Valley Forge'' (''Seated Washington'') (bronze, 1910),

Washington Memorial Chapel Washington Memorial Chapel — located on Pennsylvania Route 23 in Valley Forge National Historical Park — is both a national memorial dedicated to General George Washington and an active Episcopal parish in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania ...

, Valley Forge, Pennsylvania.

Union League of Philadelphia

* 14 bronze portrait medallions of Civil War generals and politicians (1865). **President

**Secretary of the Treasury

Salmon P. Chase Salmon Portland Chase (January 13, 1808May 7, 1873) was an American politician and jurist who served as the sixth chief justice of the United States. He also served as the 23rd governor of Ohio, represented Ohio in the United States Senate, a ...

**Secretary of State

William H. Seward William Henry Seward (May 16, 1801 – October 10, 1872) was an American politician who served as United States Secretary of State from 1861 to 1869, and earlier served as governor of New York and as a United States Senate, United States Senat ...

**Major General

Nathaniel P. Banks Nathaniel Prentice (or Prentiss) Banks (January 30, 1816 – September 1, 1894) was an American politician from Massachusetts and a Union general during the Civil War. A millworker by background, Banks was prominent in local debating societies, ...

**Major Gereral Ambrose Burnside **Major General

Benjamin F. Butler Benjamin Franklin Butler (November 5, 1818 – January 11, 1893) was an American major general of the Union Army, politician, lawyer, and businessman from Massachusetts. Born in New Hampshire and raised in Lowell, Massachusetts, Butler is best ...

**Major General

Darius N. Couch Darius Nash Couch (July 23, 1822 – February 12, 1897) was an American soldier, businessman, and naturalist. He served as a career U.S. Army officer during the Mexican–American War, the Second Seminole War, and as a general officer in the Uni ...

**Major General Abner Doubleday **General of the Army

**Major General

Winfield S. Hancock Winfield Scott Hancock (February 14, 1824 – February 9, 1886) was a United States Army officer and the Democratic nominee for President of the United States in 1880. He served with distinction in the Army for four decades, including service ...

**Major General Joseph Hooker **Major General

Philip Kearny Philip Kearny Jr. (; June 1, 1815 – September 1, 1862) was a United States Army officer, notable for his leadership in the Mexican–American War and American Civil War. He was killed in action in the 1862 Battle of Chantilly. Early life and c ...

**Major General

George Gordon Meade George Gordon Meade (December 31, 1815 – November 6, 1872) was a United States Army officer and civil engineer best known for decisively defeating Confederate General Robert E. Lee at the Battle of Gettysburg in the American Civil War. He ...

**Major General John Grubb Parke

United States Capitol

* ''

Peace Monument The Peace Monument, also known as the Naval Monument or Civil War Sailors Monument, stands on the grounds of the United States Capitol in Peace Circle at First Street, N.W., and Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington, D.C. The 44 foot (13.4 m) high w ...

'' (formerly ''Naval Monument'') (marble, 1877), United States Capitol Grounds, Washington, D.C., Edward Clark, architect. The figures atop the monument are titled "Grief and History." * ''

Roger Williams Roger Williams (21 September 1603between 27 January and 15 March 1683) was an English-born New England Puritan minister, theologian, and author who founded Providence Plantations, which became the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantation ...

'' (marble, 1872),

(representing Rhode Island). * ''Governor

William King William King may refer to: Arts *Willie King (1943–2009), American blues guitarist and singer *William King (author) (born 1959), British science fiction author and game designer, also known as Bill King *William King (artist) (1925–2015), Ame ...

'' ( marble, 1878),

(representing Maine). * ''Bust of Vice President

Hannibal Hamlin Hannibal Hamlin (August 27, 1809 – July 4, 1891) was an American attorney and politician who served as the 15th vice president of the United States from 1861 to 1865, during President Abraham Lincoln's first term. He was the first Republican ...

'' (marble, 1889),

. * ''Bust of Vice President Adlai E. Stevenson'' (marble, 1894),

. * ''Ulysses S. Grant'' (marble, 1899),

. Simmons's original 1894 statue was rejected for the U.S. Capitol. It is now in the

. * ''Bust of Vice President

Charles W. Fairbanks Charles Warren Fairbanks (May 11, 1852 – June 4, 1918) was an American politician who served as a senator from Indiana from 1897 to 1905 and the 26th vice president of the United States from 1905 to 1909. He was also the Republican vice presid ...

'' (marble, 1905),

. * '' Francis Harrison Pierpont'' (marble, 1910),

(representing West Virginia).

Gallery

File:Soldiers' Monument, Chelsea, MA.jpg, Soldiers and Sailors Monument (1867–69), Chelsea, Massachusetts File:Flickr - USCapitol - Roger Williams Statue.jpg, ''Roger Williams'' (1872), United States Capitol, Washington, D.C. File:Simmons - Penelope De Young Museum 1991.68 front.JPG, ''Penelope'' (1873), De Young Museum, San Francisco, California File:Roger Williams Monument, Providence, RI.jpg, Roger Williams Monument (1874–77), Providence, Rhode Island File:Edward Little Memorial, Auburn, Maine.jpg, Edward Little Memorial (1875–77), Auburn, Maine File:King w.jpg, ''Governor

'' (1878), United States Capitol, Washington, D.C. File:Oliver H. P. T. Morton statute at the Indianapolis Sailor and Soldier Monument.jpg, ''Senator Oliver P. Morton'' (1884), Indianapolis, Indiana File:Longfellow Statue, Portland, Maine c.1900.jpg, ''Henry Wadsworth Longfellow'' (1887), Portland, Maine File:Soldiers' Monument, Portland, Maine 1890s.jpg, Soldiers' Monument (1888–91), Portland, Maine File:Flickr - USCapitol - Ulysses S. Grant Statue.jpg, ''Ulysses S. Grant'' (1899), United States Capitol, Washington, D.C. File:Bust of Charles W Fairbanks.jpg, ''Vice President

'' (1905), United States Capitol, Washington, D.C. File:Hamilton by Franklin Simmons Paterson NJ.jpg, ''Alexander Hamilton'' (1905–06), Paterson, New Jersey File:Pierpont.jpg, ''Governor Francis Harrison Pierpont'' (1910), United States Capitol, Washington, D.C. File:Lewiston Maine Kennedy Park Civil War memorial 1870.jpg, Civil War Memorial in Lewiston, Maine

References

External links

Art Cyclopedia List of Famous Works
* ''

Universal Cyclopædia & Atlas The 12-volume ''Universal Cyclopaedia'' was edited by Charles Kendall Adams, and was published by D. Appleton & Company in 1900. The name was changed to ''Universal Cyclopaedia and Atlas'' in 1902, with editor . History This was the culmination ...

'', 1902 ed., New York, D. Appleton & Co. * {{DEFAULTSORT:Simmons, Franklin 1839 births 1913 deaths Bates College alumni People from Androscoggin County, Maine People from Bath, Maine People from Lewiston, Maine American expatriates in Italy Burials in the Protestant Cemetery, Rome Artists from Maine 20th-century American sculptors 20th-century American male artists 19th-century American sculptors 19th-century American male artists American male sculptors