Dr. Martha Hughes Cannon was a leader in the women’s suffrage movement. She received two medical degrees, one from the University of Michigan and one from the University of Pennsylvania, and a bachelor’s degree in public speaking from the National School of Elocution and Oratory in Philadelphia.
Dr. Cannon became the first U.S. female state senator after running defeating several other candidates, including her own husband, 20 years before most women in the country were allowed to vote. 2020 will mark the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment and the 55th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act, which made voting possible for all women. As our nation commemorates women’s suffrage in 2020, Utah will be standing up to celebrate its own historic and groundbreaking role in this effort.——————————————————————————————————————————————————————
MEDIA ADVISORY
February 12, 2019
Martha Hughes Cannon Oversight Committee to announce the artist selected to sculpt statue heading to U.S. Capitol
What: The Martha Hughes Cannon Statue Oversight Committee, together with the women of the 63rd Legislature, will announce the selection of the artist chosen to sculpt the bronze statue of Dr. Martha Hughes Cannon for placement in National Statuary Hall in Washington, D.C.
In 2018, the Utah Legislature voted to send a statue of Martha Hughes Cannon to National Statuary Hall in Washington, D.C. The statue will be funded through private donations and in-kind support. The Martha Hughes Cannon statue is estimated to arrive in Washington, D.C. in August 2020 to mark the 100th anniversary of 19th Amendment, the West’s role in the suffrage movement, and to commemorate the auspicious 150th anniversary of Utah being the first place a woman cast a ballot in the entire modern nation.
“Utah leads the nation in many ways. This statue symbolizes all that Utah achieved in the past and still has yet to achieve moving forward. Not enough Utahns, or Americans for that matter, know that our state was on the front line of the suffrage movement well before 1920. In fact, fifty years before the 19th Amendment was ratified, Utah women were casting ballots and Martha Hughes Cannon was the first female state senator in the nation,” said Utah Senator Deidre Henderson, co-chair of the Martha Hughes Cannon Oversight Committee. “Dr. Martha Hughes Cannon paved the way for women in Utah to take part in civic and political life. We are excited to honor her contributions by placing her statue in National Statuary Hall.”
When: Thursday, Feb. 14, 2019 at 1:15 p.m.
Where: Utah State Capitol – Gold Room 350 State St. Salt Lake City, UT 84111
Who:
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Senator Deidre Henderson, Co-Chair
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Representative Karen Kwan
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Samantha Gordon, Committee Member
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Adam Gardiner, Committee Member
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Jen Christensen, Committee Member & Chair of the Artist Selection Committee
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Senator Todd Weiler
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Members of the Martha Hughes Cannon Oversight Committee
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Artist finalist
Notes: Legislators and committee members will be available for one-on-one interviews following the announcement.
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Tags: art, artist, Deidre Henderson, Martha Hughes Cannon, national statuary hall, statue, utah legislature, utah senate