statue A statue is a free-standing sculpture in which the realistic, full-length figures of persons or animals are carved or cast in a durable material such as wood, metal or stone. Typical statues are life-sized or close to life-size; a sculpture t ...

Rufus Choate Rufus Choate (October 1, 1799July 13, 1859) was an American lawyer, orator, and Senator who represented Massachusetts as a member of the Whig Party. He is regarded as one of the greatest American lawyers of the 19th century, arguing over a th ...

stands in the

John Adams Courthouse The Suffolk County Courthouse, now formally the John Adams Courthouse, is a historic courthouse building in Pemberton Square in Boston, Massachusetts. It is home to the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court (the state's highest court) and the M ...

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

, Massachusetts, United States. The statue was designed by

Daniel Chester French Daniel Chester French (April 20, 1850 – October 7, 1931) was an American sculptor of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, best known for his 1874 sculpture ''The Minute Man'' in Concord, Massachusetts, and his 1920 monume ...

and honors Choate, a lawyer and politician from Massachusetts. It was dedicated in 1898.

History

was a lawyer and politician from

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

during the early to mid 1800s. He was well known as a lawyer, with ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' calling him " e foremost lawyer of

New England New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York to the west and by the Canadian provinces ...

during the decade preceding the

War of the Rebellion The most common name for the American Civil War in modern American usage is simply "The Civil War". Although rarely used during the war, the term "War Between the States" became widespread afterward in the Southern United States. During and immedia ...

". Also active in politics, Choate would go on to serve in both houses of the

Massachusetts General Court The Massachusetts General Court (formally styled the General Court of Massachusetts) is the state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The name "General Court" is a hold-over from the earliest days of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, ...

as well as both houses of

U.S. Congress The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is Bicameralism, bicameral, composed of a lower body, the United States House of Representatives, House of Representatives, and an upper body, ...

. He died in 1859. When George B. Hyde, a schoolmaster from Boston, died in the late 1800s, he left in his will a bequest of money for the erection of a statue honoring Choate. Sculptor

was selected to design the monument, which was to be built for the opening of the

Suffolk County Courthouse The Suffolk County Courthouse, now formally the John Adams Courthouse, is a historic courthouse building in Pemberton Square in Boston, Massachusetts. It is home to the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court (the state's highest court) and the Ma ...

(now known as the John Adams Courthouse or the "Old" Suffolk County Courthouse) in

Pemberton Square Pemberton Square (est. 1835) in the Government Center area of Boston, Massachusetts, was developed by P.T. Jackson in the 1830s as an architecturally uniform mixed-use enclave surrounding a small park. In the mid-19th century both private residen ...

. The statue was dedicated on October 15, 1898, with

Boston mayor The mayor of Boston is the head of the municipal government in Boston, Massachusetts. Boston has a mayor–council government. Boston's mayoral elections are nonpartisan (as are all municipal elections in Boston), and elect a mayor to a four-y ...

Josiah Quincy giving the

Boston Bar Association The Boston Bar Association (BBA) is a volunteer non-governmental organization in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. With headquarters located at 16 Beacon Street in the historic Chester Harding House, across from the Massachusetts State House ...

the responsibility for conducting the unveiling ceremony. The association had formed a committee for this purpose that included Patrick Collins. The ceremony began with an address by Lewis S. Dabney, president of the Boston Bar Association. This was followed by the unveiling of the statue by Benjamin D. Hyde (relative of George Hyde), who presented the statue to the city of Boston. The statue was accepted in an address given by Mayor Quincy, and afterwards, chief justice

Walbridge A. Field Walbridge Abner Field (April 26, 1833 – July 15, 1899) was an American lawyer, jurist and politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from Massachusetts, and as the chief justice of the Massachusetts Supreme J ...

of the

Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court (SJC) is the court of last resort, highest court in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Although the claim is disputed by the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, the SJC claims the di ...

gave an address where he accepted custodianship of the statue on behalf of the court. The ceremony concluded with a speech given by Joseph H. Choate Jr. In recent times, before the statue was cleaned, only the left toe of the statue gleamed, as attorneys would rub the toe for good luck.

Design

The statue is made of bronze and depicts a standing Choate holding papers in his left hand and grabbing his

lapel Lapels ( ) are the folded flaps of cloth on the front of a jacket or coat below the collar and are most commonly found on formal clothing and suit jackets. Usually they are formed by folding over the front edges of the jacket or coat and sewing t ...

with his right. The front of the

pedestal A pedestal (from French ''piédestal'', Italian ''piedistallo'' 'foot of a stall') or plinth is a support at the bottom of a statue, vase, column, or certain altars. Smaller pedestals, especially if round in shape, may be called socles. In ci ...

bears the following inscription:

References

Bibliography

* * * * * {{Daniel Chester French 1898 establishments in Massachusetts 1898 sculptures Bronze sculptures in Massachusetts Monuments and memorials in Boston Sculptures by Daniel Chester French Sculptures of men in Massachusetts Statues in Massachusetts

History

Design

See also

References

Bibliography