WASHINGTON – A statue of former President Ronald Reagan will be unveiled June 3 as California swaps one notable speaker for another as part of a collection in the U.S. Capitol.
Each state has two contributions to the National Statuary Hall Collection. California will become the second state, after Kansas, to swap statues.
Reagan, who was known as "The Great Communicator," will replace Thomas Starr King, a Unitarian pastor who was described as "the orator who saved the nation." During the Civil War, King spoke zealously in favor of the Union and is credited with saving California from becoming a separate republic.
California lawmakers approved the swap in 2006. The state's other statue is of Father Junipero Serra, the Franciscan missionary.
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