Within the capitol building are many works of art, some of which commemorate individuals who have spent their lives in the service of the State of Montana. Two of the more notable contributors to the state are Mike and Maureen Mansfield, commemorated with this seven foot tall statue of the couple on the second floor of the capitol building, to the rear of the capitol dome. It is one of three statues of Mansfield we have encountered in Montana, and one of two which include Maureen. This statue, sculpted by Montana native Gareth Curtiss, was dedicated on November 26, 2001. It rests on an 18 inch tall pedestal, while a plaque on the pedestal reads, "Together they did their best for Montana, the nation and the world." Also included is this quote from the former senator: "If I do not forget the people of Montana, the people of Montana will not forget me." Funds for the $57,500 sculpture were raised by one time governor Marc Racicot, who began a private fund-raising drive for a statue of the Mansfields when both Mike and Maureen were still alive.
Mike and Maureen are probably the best known alumni of the University of Montana, Missoula. having graduated in 1933 and 1934, respectively. Mike went on to enter politics, becoming the longest serving majority leader in the U.S. Senate upon his retirement in 1976. On campus, the Mansfield Library and the U.S.-Asian Relations Study Center were both dedicated to the couple.
On the day of the unveiling of the statue, November 26, 2001, the Montana Standard published a news article on the event, excerpts from which can be seen below.
Mike, Maureen Mansfield
memorialized by statue
By CHARLES S. JOHNSON, Standard State Bureau | Nov 26, 2001
HELENA — A statue unveiled in the Capitol Monday of the late U.S. Sen. Mike and Maureen Mansfield won instant approval from the person who knew them best — their daughter, Anne Mansfield of London.
She helped remove the drape covering the bronze statue of her parents done by sculptor Gareth Curtiss, a Montana native now living near Olympia, Wash.
Anne Mansfield, the couple's only child, stared at the statue only briefly before pronouncing it a success.
"I think it's right," Anne Mansfield told reporters. "I think it captures the character of him."
She especially liked the way the bronze statue on the third floor of the Capitol shows her father's smile and the eyes that seem to twinkle, which she said showed his often-dry wit. She approved of the depiction of the late senator's ever-present pipe in his right hand in the statute, noting she had placed a pipe in her father's casket earlier this fall.
Anne Mansfield called her father "a kindly man," who was courteous and tolerant The statue showed him walking forward, while Maureen Mansfield gazes at him lovingly from the side. Anne Mansfield said she liked the artist's rendition of how her mother looked at her father.
She said Curtiss did a very good job of capturing her face, hair, dress and jewelry—including a snake ring she always wore — in the statue.
The sculpture of Mike Mansfield is seven feet tall, while he was six feet tall, and sits on an 18-inch-tall pedestal. A plaque on the statue said, "Together they did their best for Montana, the nation and the world." It also included this quote by the former senator: "If I do not forget the people of Montana, the people of Montana will not forget me."
When he was governor, Marc Racicot started a private fund-raising drive for a statue when both Mike and Maureen Mansfield were alive, and the effort came up with the $57,500 for the sculpture. Racicot, now practicing law in Washington, D.C., was unable to attend the ceremony but sent a letter.
Mike Mansfield died Oct. 5 at age 98 in Washington, D.C., while Maureen Mansfield died there Sept. 20, 2000, at age 95. After serving as a University of Montana history professor, Mansfield, a Democrat, served 10 years in the U.S. House, 24 years in the Senate, including a record 16 years as majority leader, and then nearly 12 years as U.S. ambassador to Japan under Presidents Carter and Reagan. Before the unveiling of the statue, a ceremony was held in the rotunda and drew a crowd of more than 100 people.
From the Montana Standard