Today Joan and I toured the new visitor center expansion of the U.S. Capitol with some of my staff and viewed the relocated statue of Colorado hero Jack Swigert. As the Ranking Member of the Senate Legislative Branch Appropriations Subcommittee which oversees Capitol construction and improvements, I held more than 15 hearings to monitor this project, the largest expansion of the U.S. Capitol in history.
One of my favorite aspects of the new Capitol Visitors Center is the new location of Jack Swigert, a Colorado hero. I am very pleased to see that his statue is now prominently located in the Capitol Visitors Center Emancipation Hall. Colorado's Jack Swigert is the only statue in the Capitol that looks to the future; a fine representation of our great state. I am very pleased with the addition to the Capitol and I look forward to the many positive reports I expect to hear from Coloradans as they visit the Capitol in 2009.
John Leonard 'Jack' Swigert, Jr. was born on August 30, 1931 in Denver and graduated from the University of Colorado, where he played varsity football and earned a bachelor of science degree in mechanical engineering. As a NASA astronaut, Swigert was one of only 24 men to have flown to the Moon. Before Swigert could take his oath of office following a successful campaign for Congress in 1982, he died of cancer. Swigert was inducted into the Colorado Aviation Hall of Fame in 1988 and the spacesuit he wore on the Apollo 13 mission is currently on display in the Powerhouse Museum in Sydney, Australia.
The National Statuary Hall Collection in the U.S. Capitol is comprised of statues donated by individual states to honor persons notable in their history. The entire collection now consists of 100 statues contributed by 50 states. All fifty states have contributed two statues each. Colorado is also represented in the Capitol by Florence R. Sabin.
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