7-foot bronze sculpture by North Carolina artist Chas Fagan unveiled at US Capitol
A statue of the late Rev. Billy Graham was unveiled in the U.S. Capitol for the first time last week.
“My father would be a little uncomfortable with this being here because he would want the focus to be on the One that he preached. He’d want the focus to be on the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God,” Franklin Graham, son of Billy Graham and president and CEO of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and Samaritan’s Purse, told the crowd gathered in the National Statuary Hall. “Our family is honored that our earthly father will be here in this Capitol, pointing future generations to our heavenly Father.”
The seven-foot bronze statue, which represents the state of North Carolina, has a plaque at the base that says “Preacher of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.” The sculpture shows Graham gesturing toward an open Bible in his hand, and the pedestal is inscribed with a cross and two verses from the Bible—John 3:16 and John 14:6.
The unveiling ceremony also featured remarks from House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper (D), North Carolina Senators Ted Budd (R) and Thom Tillis (R), and other Congressional representatives. Three-time Grammy-winner Michael W. Smith also provided special music.
Speaker Mike Johnson read aloud Galatians 6:14
When Speaker Johnson addressed the crowd, he held up a copy of Billy Graham’s study Bible, and read aloud Galatians 6:14, a passage that Mr. Graham had underlined in red in his personal Bible. The same verse is also engraved on the pages of the Bible in the statue: “But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.”
Speaker Johnson called the unveiling ceremony a historic moment, with Billy Graham becoming the fourth person in U.S. history—along with President Gerald Ford, President Ronald Reagan, and Rosa Parks—to have received the three highest Congressional honors: a statue commissioned for Statuary Hall, the Congressional Gold Medal, and to have laid in honor at the U.S. Capitol.
“I don’t ever get nervous for public speaking, but I am nervous today. Can I be honest with you?” House Speaker Mike Johnson told the crowd with a smile. “Because Billy Graham is such a towering figure in my life—as he is in all of our lives—and such a singular figure and the leading ambassador for the Kingdom in our lifetimes.”
Hometown artist Chas Fagan created the sculpture
The sculpture was created in Billy Graham’s hometown of Charlotte, North Carolina, by Charlotte-based artist Chas Fagan.
Billy Graham spent more than 80 years preaching to more people in live audiences than anyone else in history—nearly 215 million people across six continents. He also provided spiritual counsel to 12 sitting presidents and dozens of world leaders. The state of North Carolina’s general assembly unanimously named Rev. Graham “North Carolina’s Favorite Son” in 2013. The state then started the years-long process of placing this statue in the U.S. Capitol by commissioning a sculpture of Rev. Graham in 2015. Billy Graham died at the age of 99 in 2018.
