The Trail of Governors Foundation Board will host an unveiling of three former governors’ statues at 10 a.m. CDT on June 17, 2022, at the State Capitol in Pierre.
The three new life-size, bronze statues will portray these governors:
Andrew E. Lee served as governor from 1897 to 1901. Lee, born in Norway, worked as a store clerk in Wisconsin before moving to Dakota Territory. He started a mercantile and owned farms near Vermillion. Lee was South Dakota’s only Populist Party governor. The Lee Medical School building at the University of South Dakota is named for Lee, on land he donated.
Frank Byrne was governor from 1913 to 1917. Byrne was born in Iowa and was lured to Sioux Falls by the Dakota Boom. He worked for homesteaders before filing his own claim in McCook County. He later moved to Faulk County, and became a land company owner at Faulkton. He was lieutenant governor before being elected governor.
William J. Bulow served as governor from 1927 to 1931. He was born in Ohio and received a law degree from the University of Michigan. Bulow moved to Beresford where he opened a law office and served as mayor. After his term as governor, Bulow was elected a U.S. Senator, serving for 12 years.
Statues of the three governors will be unveiled in a ceremony at the Capitol Rotunda. They will join 28 completed statues along the trail. The final three will complete the trail of 31 former governors’ statues as the foundation has been working toward for more than a decade. Each statue portrays a governor from his time of service, as is reflected in the garments and items that are part of or next to each statue.
The Trail of Governors is funded by donations, and donor opportunities are still available for Govs. Samuel H. Elrod, Coe I. Crawford, Frank Byrne, William J. Bulow, and Harvey Wollman. All donations are tax deductible and managed by the South Dakota Community Foundation. More information is available online at TrailofGovernors.com.
The Run With the Govs’ 3.5-mile walk and run event will be held the following day, June 18, beginning at 8 a.m. CDT, with the starting line at the Capitol’s front steps and following the statues. Registration information can be found via Facebook. Event proceeds are donated by the organizers to the Trail of Governors Foundation.
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