Johnny Cash to be Memorialized in U.S. Capitol

State of the Union: The songwriter will represent Arkansas in the National Statuary Hall.

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Music legend Johnny Cash will be honored with a statue in the U.S. Capitol. The news was announced Thursday in a bipartisan letter signed by all four leaders of Congress. 

Cash’s likeness will stand in the Capitol’s National Statuary Hall Collection alongside Daisy Bates, a civil rights leader who played a leading role in the Little Rock Integration Crisis of 1957. The two statues will represent the state of Arkansas in the Capitol’s collection.

Cash and Bates’ statues will replace James P. Clarke, a former governor and U.S. senator, and Uriah Rose, a 19th century attorney. Both Clarke and Rose’s statues were the subject of increased scrutiny in recent years.

“I remember giving tours to constituents from Arkansas, to young people, and I would point out the two representatives in Statuary Hall in our United States Capitol from Arkansas and they would say, ‘We’ve never heard of them,’” noted former Gov. Asa Hutchinson (R-AR).

Cash, or “the Man in Black,” sold more than 90 million records during a star-studded career that spanned half a century. Arkansas artist Kevin Kreese’s 8-foot tall sculpture prominently features a guitar slung over Cash’s back. In his right hand, the late singer carries a Bible.

Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders (R-AR) and members of Cash’s family are expected to attend a September ceremony in Emancipation Hall. 

“A proud son of Arkansas, Johnny Cash’s epic life carried him to Memphis and then Middle Tennessee,” wrote Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti in a post celebrating the news. “He will forever hold a special place in our hearts.”

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