Governor McCrory Signs Bill Requesting Statue Of Billy Graham Be Placed In U.S. Capitol | Eastern North Carolina Now

    Charlotte, N.C. — Governor Pat McCrory today signed a bill requesting that a statue of Billy Graham be placed in the National Statuary Hall of the U.S. Capitol Building, replacing one of the statues from North Carolina. North Carolina has two statues in the hall; one of former governor Zebulon Vance and one of former governor Charles Aycock. Graham's statue would replace the one of Aycock.

    "The Reverend Billy Graham is one of North Carolina's favorite sons, one of our greatest gifts to the world," said Governor McCrory. "From the mountains to the coast, nothing compares to North Carolina's values, spirit and faith. For many generations of North Carolinians, and people around the country and world, Billy Graham has come to personify those values."


    Billy Graham was born in Charlotte in 1918 and grew up on a dairy farm there. He began his ministry in 1950 and became one of the world's best-known and best-loved evangelists. He has counseled 12 presidents and other world leaders and has been referred to as "the nation's pastor."


    Today's signing took place at the Billy Graham Library in Charlotte. Among those in attendance were members of the Graham family, including his son Franklin Graham, president and CEO of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and of Samaritan's Purse.

    The statue request will now go to the Joint Committee on the Library of Congress for consideration.

• Contact: Crystal Feldman
•     govpress@nc.gov