Virginia State Capitol: Part Six

The next stop on a tour of the Virginia State Capitol is the Rotunda. The Rotunda is capped by a 30 foot dome and skylights. The dome is of the interior variety and is not visible from the outside of the building. Jefferson made no reference to a dome in his first written description of the Capitol and it is unknown the dome was a later idea of Jefferson’s or a modification made by the builders. Jefferson did intend for a statue of Washington to stand in the room.

In the center of the Rotunda stands a life-size marble statue of George Washington. In June of 1784, the Virginia General Assembly commissioned this statue “of the finest marble and best workmanship” as a tribute to Washington. The statue was sculpted by Jean-Antoine Houdon. In order to create the best possible likeness of Washington, Houdon visited Mount Vernon, made a plaster mask of Washington’s face, took detailed measurements of his body, and modeled a terra cotta bust. The statue was unveiled on 14 May 1796. It was viewed by many of Washington’s contemporaries, all of whom attested that it was a perfect likeness.

Also featured in the Rotunda are busts of each of the other United States Presidents to call Virginia home, along with the Marquis de Lafayette.

Thomas Jefferson was born in Goochland County, Virginia on 13 April 1743. Following his studies at the College of William And Mary, Jefferson was admitted to the bar in 1767. He was a member of the House of Burgesses between 1769 and 1775. In 1776, Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence. He was also a member of the Continental Congress and minister to France from 1785 to 1789. Jefferson served as Secretary of State during the Washington administration and as Vice President during the John Adams administration. Subsequently, he became the third President of the United States. Jefferson was the founder of the University of Virginia. Thomas Jefferson died on 4 July 1826.

James Madison was born in King George County on 16 March 1751. He graduated from Princeton in 1771. between 1776 and 1779, Madison served in the Virginia state legislature. He was also a delegate to the Continental Congress. Madison returned to the House of Delegates and served from 1784 to 1786. He is best known as the "Father of the Constitution", the "Father of the Bill of Rights", and the fourth President of the United States. When Thomas Jefferson was inaugurated as president in 1801, he named Madison to be his secretary of state. James Madison died on 28 June 1836.

James Monroe was born in Westmoreland County, Virginia on 28 April 1758. Following his incomplete education at the College of William and Mary, he served as a Delegate to the Congress of the Confederation from 1783 to 1786. Monroe was a member of the United States Senate from 1790 to 1794. He served as the Minster to France during the Washington administration. He was elected Governor of Virginia in 1799. Monroe was selected by Thomas Jefferson as the Minister to the United Kingdom. Monroe returned to Virginia as Governor in 1711. He served as Secretary of State and later Secretary of War during the Madison administration. James Monroe was elected President in 1817 and served two terms in office. James Monroe died on 4 July 1831.

William Henry Harrison was born in Charles City County, Virginia on 9 February 1773. Following college, he moved to the Northwest Territory. Harrison became Secretary of the Northwest Territory in 1798 and served in that role until 1799. He was elected to the House of Representatives in 1799 and served until 1800. Between 1801 and 1812, Harrison was the Governor of the Indiana Territory. He returned to Congress, this time representing Ohio, from 1816 until 1819. From 1825 to 1828, Harrison represented Ohio in the Senate. he was appointed Minister to Colombia in 1828 by John Quincy Adams and served in that role until 1829. In 1840, William Henry Harrison was elected President of the United States. Harrison died on 4 April 1841 after contracting pneumonia as a result of giving a lengthy Inagural Address in a chilling rainstorm without an overcoat or hat.

John Tyler was born in Charles City County, Virginia on 29 March 1790. Following his 1807 graduation from the College of William and Mary, Tyler was admitted to the bar and began practicing law. At the age of 28, Tyler was elected to the Virginia House of Delegates. He was a member of the House of Representatives from 1816 until 1821. Following that, Tyler was elected Governor of Virginia in 1816 and served until 1821. He served in the Senate from 1827 to 1836. He was William Henry Harrison's Vice President and assumed the Presidency following harrison's death in 1841. During the Civil War, he served as a member of the Confederate Congress. John Tyler died on 18 January 1862.

Zachary Taylor was born in Orange County, Virginia on 24 November 1784. In 1803, He joined the Army and was commissioned as a First Lieutenant in the 7th Infantry Regiment. During the War of 1812, Taylor successfully defended Fort Harrison in Indiana Territory from an Indian attack commanded by the Shawnee chief Tecumseh. He was also a successful and well respected commander during the Mexican-American War. Taylor was elected President in 1848, in large part to his popularity as a war hero. Zachary Taylor died on 9 July 1850.

Woodrow Wilson was born in Staunton, Virginia on 28 December 1856. Following his education at the University of Virginia, he began a law practice in Atlanta. Between 1902 and 1910, Wilson served a President of Princeton University. In 1911, he was elected Governor of New Jersey and served in that capacity until he assumed the Presidency following the 1912 election. He was reelected in 1916. Woodrow Wilson died on 3 February 1924.

The Marquis de Lafayette was born in France on 6 September 1757. In the American Revolution, Lafayette served as a major-general in the Continental Army under George Washington. He was considered to be the most important link between the American and the French Revolutions and was an ardent supporter of the United States' constitutional principles. The Marquis de Lafayette died on 20 May 1834.