Lot Flannery (1836–December 19, 1922) was an Irish-American sculptor from

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

, best known for his work in 1868 on the ''

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 ...

'' statue located outside the

District of Columbia City Hall District of Columbia City Hall, also known as "Old City Hall" and the "District of Columbia Courthouse", is a historic building at Judiciary Square in downtown Washington, D.C. facing Indiana Avenue. Originally built for the offices of the govern ...

and the nation's oldest extant memorial to the assassinated president.

Biography

Flannery was born in

Limerick Limerick ( ; ga, Luimneach ) is a western city in Ireland situated within County Limerick. It is in the province of Munster and is located in the Mid-West which comprises part of the Southern Region. With a population of 94,192 at the 2016 ...

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

, but moved to the United States as a child. He displayed a talent for art and began studying the field in Washington, D.C. He focused his work on sculpture and traveled to Europe to further his studies. Flannery also spent time living in

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

St. Louis St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...

, and

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

, but spent most of his life in Washington. He owned one of the largest stone carving businesses in Washington and specialized in carving tombstones. Flannery knew President

and was at

Ford's Theatre Ford's Theatre is a theater located in Washington, D.C., which opened in August 1863. The theater is infamous for being the site of the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. On the night of April 14, 1865, John Wilkes Booth entered the theater bo ...

the night of the assassination. Shortly after Lincoln's death, Washingtonians chose to erect a memorial honoring the slain president. Many designs were submitted to the monument planning committee, but Flannery's model was unanimously chosen. The committee called his design the "most spirited" and "an excellent likeness." The memorial was dedicated on April 15, 1868, the third anniversary of Lincoln's death. Flannery's statue is the only statue of Lincoln created by someone who knew him. In addition to the Lincoln sculpture, Flannery's notable works include the Arsenal Monument at

Congressional Cemetery The Congressional Cemetery, officially Washington Parish Burial Ground, is a historic and active cemetery located at 1801 E Street, SE, in Washington, D.C., on the west bank of the Anacostia River. It is the only American "cemetery of national m ...

and a sculpture of President

Chester Arthur Chester Alan Arthur (October 5, 1829 – November 18, 1886) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 21st president of the United States from 1881 to 1885. He previously served as the 20th vice president under President James A ...

on display at the Smithsonian American Art Museum. Flannery sculpted a marble bust of General

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 ...

that was previously exhibited in the

Capitol A capitol, named after the Capitoline Hill in Rome, is usually a legislative building where a legislature meets and makes laws for its respective political entity. Specific capitols include: * United States Capitol in Washington, D.C. * Numerous ...

. A copy of that bust made by artist

Franklin Simmons 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, three of his busts are in the United States Senate ...

was used in producing the equestrian sculpture ''

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 ...

''. Flannery never married and lived alone until his death at his residence on December 19, 1922.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Flannery, Lot 1836 births 1922 deaths Artists from Washington, D.C. Irish emigrants to the United States (before 1923) 20th-century American sculptors 20th-century American male artists 19th-century American sculptors 19th-century American male artists American male sculptors