The National Statuary Collection Study Committee will give the public vote great weight when deciding which famous Ohioan should go to the U.S. Capitol. The committee will make its recommendation to the full Legislature.
The new statute, which is expected to be paid for with private donations, will replace former Gov. William Allen, whose pro-slavery, anti-Abraham Lincoln views are now seen as an embarrassment to Ohio. Ohio’s other Statuary Hall representative is President James Garfield. Each state gets two statues and the representatives must be deceased.
The Ohio Historical Society conducted voting from March 20 to June 12 at three dozen historical sites around the state and also accepted mailed and e-mailed ballots.
Edison was born in Milan, near Sandusky, but moved to Port Huron, Mich., as a young boy and did much of his inventing in New Jersey. He invented the phonograph, motion picture camera and electric light bulb and holds 1,093 U.S. patents.
The Wright Brothers are credited with inventing and building the first successful airplane. Wilbur was born in Indiana; Orville in Dayton. The brothers spent most of their lives in Dayton.
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