Billy Graham statue proposed for NC Capitol in Raleigh
Rev. Billy Graham could be 1st new statue at NC Capitol since Confederates removed
The state Capitol in downtown Raleigh could have its first new statue in several years, if a provision in the House budget becomes law and private funding is raised to pay for it.
Republican House budget writers have proposed adding a statue of the late Rev. Billy Graham to the Capitol, either on the grounds or inside the building. Their plan doesn’t provide funding for it.
The proposal is from Rep. John Torbett, a Gaston County Republican and chair of the House budget committee that’s in charge of several government agencies. “We need to honor those people that have done great things for the people of this state. And I think no one would say that Billy Graham did not do great things for people of this state,” Torbett told The News & Observer.
Graham has statue at US Capitol. The Raleigh statue would be a duplicate of the Graham statue in Congress’ Statuary Hall Collection.
“We put one in DC, Statuary Hall, on behalf of the people in North Carolina. I thought, well, maybe the people in North Carolina won’t be able to see that up there, so maybe we should have a duplicate made here,” Torbett told The N&O on Thursday.
“And so the thought was, either have it in our Capitol here or on the Capitol grounds, which we’re still open to…