Senator John McCain and Arizona Congressional Delegation Applaud Upcoming Barry M. Goldwater Statue Dedication

Statement

U.S. Senator John McCain (R-AZ) and the entire Arizona Congressional delegation applauded today's announcement by House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH), Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), and Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) that Congress will dedicate a statue of Senator Barry M. Goldwater at a ceremony in the National Statuary Hall of the United States Capitol on Wednesday, February 11, 2015 at 3:00 p.m. EST.

"This statue in the U.S. Capitol will serve as a well-deserved and lasting tribute to Senator Barry Goldwater's remarkable contributions to the State of Arizona and our nation," said Senators McCain and Flake; and Representatives Franks, Gallego, Gosar, Grijalva, Kirkpatrick, McSally, Salmon, Schweikert, and Sinema. "A quintessential Westerner and Arizona native, Senator Goldwater had a love affair with our state and her people. His decades of faithful service to Arizona and his dedication to conservative ideas earned him the fitting nicknames "Mr. Arizona' and "Mr. Conservative.' Our state never had a better champion than Barry Goldwater, and we are very proud that his legacy will continue to be honored at the U.S. Capitol."

In 2008, the Arizona Congressional delegation and former Governor Janet Napolitano requested that Congress accept a statue of Senator Barry Goldwater in place of the statue of John C. Greenway, which currently represents the State of Arizona as part of the National Statuary Hall Collection.

Barry Morris Goldwater was born in Phoenix on New Year's Day, 1909, three years before Arizona was admitted to the Union. He entered politics in 1949 when he was elected as a Phoenix city councilman. He first won a United States Senate seat in 1952, and was the Republican nominee for president in 1964. While he did not win the presidential election, Senator Goldwater became an icon for conservatism, starting a movement which many believe led to the election of Ronald Reagan as president in 1980. Senator Goldwater was again elected to the Senate in 1968 where he served until his retirement in 1987.

Additional details regarding the dedication of the statue will be announced closer to the date of the ceremony.