Wheeler Williams (November 30, 1897 – August 12, 1972) was an American

sculptor Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable sc ...

Early life and education

Williams was born in

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

and studied sculpture at the

Art Institute of Chicago The Art Institute of Chicago, founded in 1879, is one of the oldest and largest art museums in the United States. The museum is based in the Art Institute of Chicago Building in Chicago's Grant Park (Chicago), Grant Park. Its collection, stewa ...

. He attended

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Stat ...

, where he graduated magna cum laude in 1919. He received a Master of Architecture degree from

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

in 1922. Williams studied at the

École des Beaux-Arts ; ) refers to a number of influential art schools in France. The term is associated with the Beaux-Arts architecture, Beaux-Arts style in architecture and city planning that thrived in France and other countries during the late nineteenth centu ...

in Paris.

Career

Williams was one of a dozen sculptors invited to compete in the Pioneer Woman statue competition in 1927, which he failed to win. His model for that competition was later enlarged, cast and placed in front of the public library in Liberty, Kansas. Williams was a recipient of a Gould Medal at the Paris Exposition in 1937. He was a member of the National Academy, past president of the Fine Arts Federation of New York, and longtime president of the National Sculpture Society. Wheeler was also the founder and president of the American Artist Professional League.

Political involvement

Williams was a supporter of the

House Un-American Activities Committee The House Committee on Un-American Activities (HCUA), popularly the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC), was an investigative United States Congressional committee, committee of the United States House of Representatives, created in 19 ...

's search for communist "reds" in the arts. He also protested the Congressional censure of

Joseph McCarthy Joseph Raymond McCarthy (November 14, 1908 – May 2, 1957) was an American politician who served as a Republican Party (United States), Republican United States Senate, U.S. Senator from the state of Wisconsin from 1947 until his death at age ...

. Williams also served on the jury for the Alger Hiss treason trial. Very active in the Republican Party, many of Williams' commissions reflect his

conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...

positions, including his work on the Robert A. Taft Memorial in

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

Public monuments

* 1930 "Tablets to Pioneers", Michigan Avenue Bridge,

* 1935 "Communications" West Pediment of the Environmental Protection Agency Building (formerly Interstate Commerce Commission), Federal Triangle,

* 1938 "Indian Bowman," United States Post Office-Canal Street Station,

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* 1942 "Settlers of the Seaboard", Fairmount Park,

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* 1949 "The Venus of Manhattan", Madison Avenue Facade, Parke Bernet Gallery, New York City * 1951 four servicemen sculpture on the Wall of the Missing, Cambridge American Cemetery and Memorial,

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, England * 1952 "Fountain of the Water Babies", Children's Hospital,

Seattle Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...

* 1952 "Wave of Life", Houston Main Building (HMB) of The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center; was the Prudential S.W. regional office until 1974,

Houston Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

* 1955 "Robert A. Taft" plaque, Indian Hill Church Cemetery, Indian Hill, Ohio * 1956 "Colonel Robert R. McCormick" bronze sculpture, Colonel's Place,

Baie-Comeau Baie-Comeau () is a city in the Côte-Nord region of the province of Quebec, Canada. It is located on the shores of the St. Lawrence River, and is the seat of Manicouagan Regional County Municipality. It is near the mouth of the Manicouagan Ri ...

Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...

, Canada * 1956 Commodore John Barry Memorial,

Wexford Wexford ( ; archaic Yola dialect, Yola: ''Weiseforthe'') is the county town of County Wexford, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Wexford lies on the south side of Wexford Harbour, the estuary of the River Slaney near the southeastern corner of the ...

, Ireland * 1959 "Robert A. Taft Memorial," Capitol Grounds, Washington, D.C. * 1960 "Muse of the Missouri" Fountain,

Kansas City, Missouri Kansas City, Missouri, abbreviated KC or KCMO, is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri by List of cities in Missouri, population and area. The city lies within Jackson County, Missouri, Jackson, Clay County, Missouri, Clay, and Pl ...

* 1961 "Spring, Summer, Fall,"

Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in Shelby County, Tennessee, United States, and its county seat. Situated along the Mississippi River, it had a population of 633,104 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of municipalities in Tenne ...

References

*"Questioning 'Modern'", August 23, 1942, ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' *"Petition Drive Set To Back McCarthy", November 15, 1954, ''The New York Times'' *"Hiss Offers Not Guilty Plea", December 17, 1948, ''The New York Times'' *Goode, James M. ''The Outdoor Sculpture of Washington D.C.'', Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington D.C., 1974 *Gurney, George,'' Sculpture and the Federal Triangle'', Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington D.C., 1985 {{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, Wheeler 1897 births 1972 deaths 20th-century American male artists 20th-century American sculptors American alumni of the École des Beaux-Arts American architectural sculptors American male sculptors Artists from Chicago Harvard Graduate School of Design alumni National Sculpture Society members School of the Art Institute of Chicago alumni Sculptors from Illinois Section of Painting and Sculpture artists Yale University alumni