HistoryLink Tours

Large figural sculptures were the foundation of the City of Seattle’s art collection with at least seven sited around the city by 1930. These works were made by sculptors with established reputations, who were often trained in Europe, and had already created monuments elsewhere. Sculptor Richard E. Brooks (1865-1919) was no exception. Trained in Paris, he was considered an eminent sculptor during his lifetime and made large figural sculpted works for cities on the East Coast, including two works in the National Statuary Hall in Washington, D.C.

Brooks had already created a figural monument for Seattle which had been well-received—that of Alaska Governor William Seward for the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition. The sculptor was next asked to create a monument for John Harte McGraw (1850-1910). McGraw was a lawyer, businessman, law enforcement officer, and governor of Washington. McGraw had been selected for immortalization for his contributions to Washington state as its second governor and for those to King County during his three terms as Sheriff. McGraw was instrumental in securing land for the University of Washington Seattle campus, the construction of the Seattle Ship Canal and Ballard Locks, and was best remembered for his role as the sheriff who deputized 400 local citizens to quell vigilantism targeting Chinese laborers in 1886. Brooks spent three years perfecting the sculptural likeness of Harte and produced it using the lost-wax bronze casting process at the Hohwiller Foundry in Paris.

The site on which this works stands was selected and purchased by McGraw’s family members and private citizens. The work was funded by private sources and unveiled on July 22, 1913. Deemed McGraw Square, the site ultimately became one of the city’s smallest public parks. Seattle is the only West Coast location to have statuary works created by Brooks.

Looking east, note the SLU Streetcar stop and walk toward it; look down at the sidewalk.