''General John Logan Memorial'', also known as the John Alexander Logan Monument, is an outdoor

bronze sculpture Bronze is the most popular metal for Casting (metalworking), cast metal sculptures; a cast bronze sculpture is often called simply "a bronze". It can be used for statues, singly or in groups, reliefs, and small statuettes and figurines, as w ...

commemorating

John A. Logan John Alexander Logan (February 9, 1826 – December 26, 1886) was an American soldier and politician. He served in the Mexican–American War and was a general in the Union Army in the American Civil War. He served the state of Illinois as a st ...

by sculptors

Augustus Saint-Gaudens Augustus Saint-Gaudens (; March 1, 1848 – August 3, 1907) was an American sculptor of the Beaux-Arts generation who embodied the ideals of the American Renaissance. From a French-Irish family, Saint-Gaudens was raised in New York City, he trave ...

and

Alexander Phimister Proctor Alexander Phimister Proctor (September 27, 1860 – September 5, 1950) was an American sculpture, sculptor with the contemporary reputation as one of the nation's foremost animaliers. Birth and early years Proctor was born on September 27, ...

, in a setting by architect

Stanford White Stanford White (November 9, 1853 – June 25, 1906) was an American architect. He was also a partner in the architectural firm McKim, Mead & White, one of the most significant Beaux-Arts firms. He designed many houses for the rich, in additio ...

. Installed in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

's Grant Park, in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sover ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

, the statue and pedestal sit atop a memorial mound, with a ceremonial stairway leading to the summit.

History

The monument was created during 1894–1897 and dedicated on July 22, 1897. Henry-Bonnard Bronze Company served as the founder, and additional assistance was provided by Daniel H. Burnham, Annette Johnson, and Mary Lawrence Tonetti. The unveiling of the memorial in 1897 was a major event in Chicago. People from across the country attended and the coverage was equally widespread. The dignitaries included

Russell A. Alger Russell Alexander Alger (February 27, 1836 – January 24, 1907) was an American politician and businessman. He served as the 20th Governor of Michigan, U.S. Senator, and U.S. Secretary of War. He was supposedly a distant relation of author H ...

, Secretary of War represented President McKinley, Governor James A. Mount of Indiana and Governor Silas A. Holcomb of Nebraska. Illinois Governor

John Riley Tanner John Riley Tanner (April 4, 1844 – May 23, 1901) was the 21st Governor of Illinois, from 1897 until 1901. Tanner was the first governor in the country to be openly neutral in labor disputes, gaining national notoriety for his actions in a s ...

accepted the memorial on behalf of the state of Illinois and an oration was delivered by George R. Peck. Three revenue cutters fired salutes on Lake Michigan and the memorial was unveiled by Logan’s grandson, seven-year-old John A. Logan III. In 1913,

Eugene F. McDonald Eugene F. McDonald (1886–1958) founded Zenith Radio in 1921, a major American radio and electronics manufacturer for most of the twentieth century. Early life Eugene F. McDonald Jr. was born March 11, 1886, in Syracuse, New York, the son of Fr ...

, a representative of the Anderson Electric Car Co. (and future founder of Zenith Radio Corporation) used the steps leading up the memorial to demonstrate the ability of a

Detroit Electric The Detroit Electric was an electric car produced by the Anderson Electric Car Company in Detroit, Michigan. The company built 13,000 electric cars from 1907 to 1939. The marque was revived in 2008 by Albert Lam, former Group CEO of the Lotus En ...

to climb hills for one of his customers. He was arrested for the stunt but made the sale. In February 1923, the South Park commissioners in Chicago suggested that the Logan Memorial be taken off its mound and put on a pedestal. The mound contains a tomb intended for the General and his wife. Mrs. Logan fought the move, writing letters to the head of the commission. Civil War veterans rallied in support of Mrs. Logan. She died a little over a week later. The statue was never moved. General and Mrs. Logan were both buried at the U.S. Soldiers’ and Airmen's Home National Cemetery in Washington, DC and have never been returned to Chicago. In 1939 it was reported that the inscription above the vault that read “Within this crypt the mortal remains of the hero are buried” had been chipped away to just a handful of letters by vandals. In 1968, during the

anti-war protests An anti-war movement (also ''antiwar'') is a social movement, usually in opposition to a particular nation's decision to start or carry on an armed conflict, unconditional of a maybe-existing just cause. The term anti-war can also refer to pa ...

surrounding the

Democratic National Convention The Democratic National Convention (DNC) is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1832 by the United States Democratic Party. They have been administered by the Democratic National Committee since the 1852 ...

, demonstrators climbed the statue and organizers spoke from in front of its base. File:Eugene_McDonald_climbing_Logan_Memorial.jpg,

Eugene McDonald Eugene F. McDonald (1886–1958) founded Zenith Radio in 1921, a major American radio and electronics manufacturer for most of the twentieth century. Early life Eugene F. McDonald Jr. was born March 11, 1886, in Syracuse, New York, the son of Fr ...

climbing the memorial in 1913 File:1968 Democratic National Convention, Chicago. Sept 68 C15 8 1313, Photo by Bea A Corson, Chicago. Purchased at estate sale in 2011 by Victor Grigas Released Public Domain.tiff, The statue was the site of protests during the 1968 Democratic National Convention

References

External links

* {{Public art in Chicago 1897 establishments in Illinois 1897 sculptures Bronze sculptures in Illinois Equestrian statues in Illinois Flags in art Monuments and memorials in Chicago Outdoor sculptures in Chicago Sculptures by Alexander Phimister Proctor Sculptures by Augustus Saint-Gaudens Sculptures of men in Illinois Statues in Chicago

History

See also

References

External links