Sherman Minton (Gage)
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The bust of ''Sherman Minton'' is a
public art Public art is art in any Media (arts), media whose form, function and meaning are created for the general public through a public process. It is a specific art genre with its own professional and critical discourse. Public art is visually and phy ...
work by
American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...
artist
Robert Merrell Gage Robert Merrell Gage (December 26, 1892 – October 30, 1981) was an American sculptor, frequently credited and better known as Merrell Gage. Biography Gage was born in Topeka, Kansas and studied in the Topeka public schools and at Washburn Unive ...
, located on the main floor of the
Indiana Statehouse The Indiana Statehouse is the state capitol building of the U.S. state of Indiana. It houses the Indiana General Assembly, the office of the Governor of Indiana, the Indiana Supreme Court, and other state officials. The Statehouse is located i ...
, which is in
Indianapolis Indianapolis ( ), colloquially known as Indy, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Indiana, most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana, Marion ...
,
Indiana Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...
,
United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
.
Cast Cast may refer to: Music * Cast (band), an English alternative rock band * Cast (Mexican band), a progressive Mexican rock band * The Cast, a Scottish musical duo: Mairi Campbell and Dave Francis * ''Cast'', a 2012 album by Trespassers William ...
in
bronze Bronze is an alloy consisting primarily of copper, commonly with about 12–12.5% tin and often with the addition of other metals (including aluminium, manganese, nickel, or zinc) and sometimes non-metals (such as phosphorus) or metalloid ...
in 1956, it was commissioned to honor
politician A politician is a person who participates in Public policy, policy-making processes, usually holding an elective position in government. Politicians represent the people, make decisions, and influence the formulation of public policy. The roles ...
a
United States senator The United States Senate consists of 100 members, two from each of the 50 U.S. state, states. This list includes all senators serving in the 119th United States Congress. Party affiliation Independent Senators Angus King of Maine and Berni ...
from
Indiana Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...
and later an
Associate Justice An associate justice or associate judge (or simply associate) is a judicial panel member who is not the chief justice in some jurisdictions. The title "Associate Justice" is used for members of the Supreme Court of the United States and some ...
of the
Supreme Court of the United States The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all Federal tribunals in the United States, U.S. federal court cases, and over Stat ...
. and Indiana native
Sherman Minton Sherman "Shay" Minton (October 20, 1890 – April 9, 1965) was an American politician and jurist who served as a U.S. senator from Indiana and later became an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States; he was a member of the ...
.


Description

The bust is made from cast bronze and depicts the subject from the lower shoulders up, clad in a judicial
robe A robe is a loose-fitting outer garment. Unlike garments described as capes or cloaks, robes usually have sleeves. The English word ''robe'' derives from Middle English ''robe'' ("garment"), borrowed from Old French ''robe'' ("booty, spoil ...
. Minton is depicted as
middle-aged Middle age (or middle adulthood) is the age range of the years halfway between childhood and old age. The exact range is subject to public debate, but the term is commonly used to denote the age range from 45 to 65 years. Overall This time span ...
, mustached, with a moderately receded hairline. His head is rotated slightly to the proper left. Slightly larger than life-size, the piece is 30.25 inches wide at the shoulders, 11.5 inches wide at the head, 24 inches high, and 11.75 inches deep. It is mounted on a stone block in a semi-cylindrical niche. Affixed to the front of the block is a bronze plaque which reads:


Subject

Sherman Minton (October 20, 1890 – April 9, 1965) was primarily noted for being a Democratic
United States Senator The United States Senate consists of 100 members, two from each of the 50 U.S. state, states. This list includes all senators serving in the 119th United States Congress. Party affiliation Independent Senators Angus King of Maine and Berni ...
representing Indiana and an Associate
United States Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that turn on question ...
justice. The first U.S. Supreme Court justice from Indiana, he was a supporter of
New Deal The New Deal was a series of wide-reaching economic, social, and political reforms enacted by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in the United States between 1933 and 1938, in response to the Great Depression in the United States, Great Depressi ...
legislation as a senator and an advocate of
judicial restraint Judicial restraint is a judicial interpretation that recommends favoring the ''status quo'' in judicial activities and is the opposite of judicial activism. Aspects of judicial restraint include the principle of '' stare decisis'' (that new de ...
as a court justice. He
retired Retirement is the withdrawal from one's position or occupation or from one's active working life. A person may also semi-retire by reducing work hours or workload. Many people choose to retire when they are elderly or incapable of doing their j ...
in 1956 due to poor health.


Historical information

The bust was commissioned shortly after Minton's retirement by then-
governor A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...
of Indiana
George N. Craig George North Craig (August 6, 1909 – December 17, 1992) was an American attorney and politician who served as the 39th governor of the U.S. state of Indiana from 1953 until 1957. A lawyer and veteran of World War II who was promoted to serve ...
, paid for out of the governor's
contingency fund A contingencies fund or contingency fund is a fund for emergencies or unexpected outflows, mainly economic crises. European Union The European Union created a vast contingency fund in 2010 to counteract the Great Recession. European finance min ...
. It was dedicated on December 21, 1956, at an unveiling ceremony which featured as speakers both Gov. Craig and William T. Fitzgerald, president of the Indiana State
Bar Association A bar association is a professional association of lawyers as generally organized in countries following the Anglo-American types of jurisprudence.
at that time, in addition to Minton himself.


Location history

Cast in New York and transported to Indianapolis, the bust was originally housed in a prominent niche outside the governor's office at the statehouse
rotunda A rotunda () is any roofed building with a circular ground plan, and sometimes covered by a dome. It may also refer to a round room within a building (an example being the one below the dome of the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C.). ...
, displacing a bust of George Washington, which was moved to an upper floor. A statement by the governor's private secretary at the time suggested that this was simply because the Washington bust was made of plaster and the Minton bust of bronze, and that the Minton bust would be a better aesthetic match for an adjoining bronze piece. A 1976 catalog lists the bust's location at the statehouse as the southwest corner pier of the central rotunda, facing south.PLASTER AND BRONZE BUSTS AND STATUES IN THE NICHES IN THE CENTRAL ROTUNDA OF THE STATE HOUSE SECOND OR MAIN FLOOR, Revised August 27, 1976, clipping file retrieved from the
Indiana State Library The Indiana State Library and Historical Bureau is a public library building, located in Indianapolis, Indiana. It is the largest public library in the state of Indiana, housing over 60,000 manuscripts. Established in 1934, the library has gathe ...
.
This continues to be its current location as of 2011.


Artist

A native of
Topeka, Kansas Topeka ( ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Kansas and the county seat of Shawnee County. It is along the Kansas River in the central part of Shawnee County, in northeastern Kansas, in the Central United States. As of the 2020 cen ...
, sculptor Robert Merrell Gage (December 26, 1892 – October 30, 1981, often referred to as Merrell Gage) was noted for his numerous public art commissions. His first such commission was for a statue of
Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was the 16th president of the United States, serving from 1861 until Assassination of Abraham Lincoln, his assassination in 1865. He led the United States through the American Civil War ...
that is now on the grounds of the
Kansas State Capitol The Kansas State Capitol, known also as the Kansas Statehouse, is the building housing the executive and legislative branches of government for the U.S. state of Kansas. Located in the city of Topeka, which has served as the capital of Kansas si ...
. He eventually became a professor of sculpture at the
University of Southern California The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in ...
, and it was during his tenure there that he was commissioned to produce the Sherman Minton bust.


See also

*
Benjamin Harrison (Peglow) ''Benjamin Harrison'' is a bust by United States, American artist Richard Peglow, located in the north atrium on the second floor of the Indiana Statehouse in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. The bust is cast in bronze and depicts President B ...
*
Colonel Richard Owen (Kinney Scholz) The ''Colonel Richard Owen'' bust is a public artwork by United States, American artist Belle Kinney Scholz and is located in the Indiana Statehouse in Indianapolis, Indiana. The bronze bust was dedicated in 1913 as a memorial to U.S. Army Colon ...
* Frank O'Bannon (Ryden) * Henry F. Schricker (Rubins) * Matthew E. Welsh (Edwards) *
Otis Bowen (Lanagan) Otis Ray Bowen (February 26, 1918 – May 4, 2013) was an American politician and physician who served as the 44th Governor of Indiana from 1973 to 1981 and as Secretary of Health and Human Services in the Cabinet of President Ronald Reagan from ...
* Robert D. Orr (Ingle) * Stephen Neal (Leonard)


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Minton, Sherman, Bust of 1956 sculptures Bronze sculptures in Indiana Indiana Statehouse Public Art Collection Monuments and memorials in Indianapolis Busts in Indiana Sculptures of men in Indiana