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- Martha Hughes Cannon's statue was unveiled at the U.S. Capitol's National Statuary Hall on Wednesday.
- Cannon was a pioneering doctor and the first female state senator in the U.S.
- Her legacy includes advocating for women's suffrage and establishing Utah's state health department.
SALT LAKE CITY — Martha Hughes Cannon, a doctor and women's suffrage trailblazer who became the first woman to serve as a state senator when she was elected in Utah over a century ago, now has a home in the nation's capital.
Applause and cheers erupted inside the U.S. Capitol's National Statuary Hall Wednesday as family descendants and a group of Utah delegates yanked a black tarp to unveil the 7-foot, 6-inch tall statue of Cannon, capping a journey several years in the making.
"We realize how extraordinary she was for the time in which she lived," said Arline Brady, Cannon's great-granddaughter, moments later. "Martha Hughes Cannon was a woman ahead of her time."
Honoring a Utah legend
Cannon's journey to Washington technically began in 2018 when state lawmakers passed a bill creating a statue of Cannon that would be displayed at National Statuary Hall, where every state has two statues representing prominent people from the state.
However, Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson — a state senator herself when she championed the legislation — said the idea was inspired by a lack of real women represented in history. Utah leaders wanted to showcase a real person who made a societal impact, which led them to a Utah health and political legend at the beginning of statehood.
Cannon was 3 years old when her family emigrated from Wales to Utah in 1861. By 25, she had received degrees from what is now the University of Utah, the University of Michigan and the University of Pennsylvania in chemistry, medicine, pharmaceuticals and public speaking, aspiring to be a doctor after the deaths of her father and sister.
"She decided she wanted to do something about it," Brady said. "She was affected by the deaths in her family and she wanted to change things, so she worked hard and saved her money. She never lost sight of her goal to bring the medical knowledge in the East to the West."
Cannon returned to Salt Lake City after college, where she became a physician at the woman-run Deseret Hospital while creating a nursing school, too. She also became a vocal leader in Utah's suffrage movement, especially after Congress removed Utah women's right to vote in 1887.
After helping to ensure women had the right to vote when Utah gained statehood, she ran and became the first woman to serve as a state senator in the U.S., defeating her husband during the 1896 election. While in office, she authored a bill that established the state health department, as well as policies that transformed public health, food safety, sanitation and education for children with disabilities.
She also traveled around the country advocating women's suffrage, playing a role in the creation of the 19th Amendment that gave women the right to vote in 1920. She died in 1932 at the age of 75 and is buried in the Salt Lake City Cemetery.
"Martha is both a real woman and a representation of who we are and what we value as Utahns and Americans," Henderson said during Wednesday's ceremony. "Martha means something to all of us."
A lasting legacy
Utah leaders unveiled the statue of Cannon at the Utah Capitol four years ago with the intent of installing the statue in Washington that year, as part of the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment.
However, those plans were ultimately delayed by years. The U.S. Capitol was closed to visitors over COVID-19 concerns and the pedestal needed for the statue to be displayed was also hard to find during supply chain shortages. Utah also needed final approval from the U.S. House speaker, but that role changed multiple times since 2020.
The Cannon statue finally made its journey to the nation's capital in June, leaving the Utah Capitol on a truck while a large group of people chanted "Martha!" and waved goodbye at the end of a farewell ceremony.
Cannon now stands next to Johnny Cash inside National Statuary Hall, following a similar ceremony for the music legend that Arkansas leaders oversaw earlier this year. The hall also holds a statue of Brigham Young, while a statue of television inventor Philo T. Farnsworth — installed in 1990 — will have a new home at Utah Valley University.
"Her story will be told to boys and girls, men and women from around the world," Henderson said. "They will learn of the tiny woman from Utah who had a giant impact on the lives of so many people — an impact felt to this day."
It isn't the only tribute planned to honor Cannon's life, either. Brady said a plaque recognizing her accomplishments is set to be placed at her birth home in Wales.
Both her statue and plaque aim to share her story with people around the world.
"(Cannon) used the knowledge she worked so hard to obtain to make real changes in the world in which she lived," Brady said. "If she were alive today, she would still be seen as remarkable."
