Bill to Remove Marcus Whitman Statues Being Considered in Olympia

A public hearing will happen tomorrow to discuss the removal of statues of Marcus Whitman, an early settler and missionary of the Oregon Territory.

According to an article in the Walla Walla Union-Bulletin, Senate Bill 5237 is sponsored by Sen. Reuven Carlyle from the Seattle area. The proposal is to remove one statue from the state capitol building and another from the Statuary Hall inside the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C.

In the opinion of the bill's writers Marcus Whitman does not meet the criteria of being one of the states historical honorees and wants two statues of Whitman removed.