Statue of George Frisbie Hoar

The George Frisbie Hoar statue is a public monument in Worcester, Massachusetts, United States. Located on the north side of the Worcester City Hall, the monument honors George Frisbie Hoar, a politician from the city. The monument, which consists of a statue designed by Daniel Chester French, was dedicated in 1908.

Background
George Frisbie Hoar was born in Concord, Massachusetts, United States on August 29, 1826. As a child, he attended Concord Academy, and in 1842, at the age of 16, he entered into Harvard College, graduating four years later. In 1849, he graduated from Harvard Law School and was admitted to the bar that same year, following which he began to practice law in Worcester, Massachusetts. During the 1850s, he served terms in both the Massachusetts House of Representatives and the Massachusetts Senate, and from 1869 to 1877, he served in the United States House of Representatives as a member of the Republican Party. In 1877, he became a U.S. Senator, a position he would hold until his death in Worcester in 1904.

Creation and dedication
Following Hoar's death, on April 25, 1905, Worcester Mayor Walter H. Blodgett held a meeting at the city hall to discuss the creation of a memorial to Hoar. A memorial fund was created for this purpose, and on May 4, trustees of the fund were elected, with Blodgett as the fund's chairman. Fundraising through popular donations commenced, and within a few weeks, over 30,000 donors had contributed over $21,000 to the monument's creation. At a meeting held on July 20, sculptor Daniel Chester French was selected to design a statue of Hoar, with the pedestal to be designed by Peabody and Stearns and created by the Norcross Brothers. The location for the monument, the northern side of the Worcester City Hall, was selected by the trustees on January 16, 1908.

The statue was dedicated on June 26, 1908. The dedication ceremony began with a prayer given by Edward Everett Hale, followed by speeches given by Mayor James Logan and Massachusetts Governor Curtis Guild Jr., and an oration by Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court William Henry Moody. The ceremony concluded with the playing of "America".

Design
The monument consists of a bronze statue of Hoar atop a granite pedestal. Hoar is sitting in a chair, with an overcoat hanging over the left arm of the chair. In his other hand, Hoar is holding a manuscript. Several bronze tablets with inscriptions are affixed to the pedestal. The inscriptions read as follows:

"GEORGE FRISBIE HOAR BORN IN CONCORD AUGUST 29 1826 DIED IN WORCESTER SEPTEMBER 30 1904 LAWYER SCHOLAR ORATOR STATESMAN CITIZEN OF WORCESTER FOR MORE THAN HALF A CENTURY MEMBER OF MASSACHUSETTS HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 1852 MEMBER OF MASSACHUSETTS SENATE 1857 CITY SOLICITOR OF WORCESTER 1860 MEMBER OF THE UNITED STATES HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 1869–1877 SENATOR OF THE UNITED STATES 1877–1904""PURITAN AND PATRIOT BY INHERITANCE UNSULLIED IN CHARACTER LOVER OF LIBERTY CHAMPION OF THE OPPRESSED HIS LIFE EMBODIED THE TRADITIONS OF MASSACHUSETTS AND OF THE FOUNDERS OF THE REPUBLIC HIS HIGH IDEALS ZEAL FOR LEARNING AND CONSTRUCTIVE STATESMANSHIP MADE IMPERISHABLE CONTRIBUTIONS TO A GREAT PERIOD OF AMERICAN HISTORY THIS STATUE IS RAISED BY GIFTS FROM THIRTY THOUSAND OF HIS TOWNSFOLK THAT THE PEOPLE FOR ALL TIME MAY BE INSPIRED BY THE MEMORY OF HIS PERSONAL VIRTUE AND PUBLIC SERVICE""'I BELIEVE IN GOD, THE LIVING GOD, IN THE AMERICAN PEOPLE, A FREE AND BRAVE PEOPLE, WHO DO NOT BOW THE NECK OR BEND THE KNEE TO ANY OTHER, AND WHO DESIRE NO OTHER TO BOW THE NECK OR BEND THE KNEE TO THEM. 'I BELIEVE THAT LIBERTY, GOOD GOVERNMENT, FREE INSTITUTIONS, CANNOT BE GIVEN BY ANY ONE PEOPLE TO ANY OTHER, BUT MUST BE WROUGHT OUT FOR EACH BY ITSELF, SLOWLY, PAINFULLY, IN THE PROCESS OF YEARS OR CENTURIES, AS THE OAK ADDS RING TO RING. I BELIEVE THAT, WHATEVER CLOUDS MAY DARKEN THE HORIZON, THE WORLD IS GROWING BETTER, THAT TODAY IS BETTER THAN YESTERDAY, AND TOMORROW WILL BE BETTER THAN TODAY.'"