General Hooker Statue

In front of the Massachusetts State House in Boston stands an imposing equestrian statue of Major General Joseph Hooker. The officer, a native of Hadley, served in the Mexican-American War and rose to prominence during the Civil War. The bronze sculpture, about 15 feet tall, was created in 1903 by Daniel Chester French and Edward Clark Potter and mounted on a granite pedestal. It was unveiled in June of that year with an artillery salute, attended by both military and civilian dignitaries.

The statue is not only a historic monument but also shapes the architecture of the State House, as it marks the main entrance, which is named after him. The name regularly draws amused reactions, especially from school groups touring the building. Despite its prominent location at the State House, the honor given to Hooker has always been controversial. Critics, including contemporaries such as the historian Charles Francis Adams Jr., saw the monument as a slight to the state's true soldiers. The monument's presence has also been questioned in more recent times, with experts suggesting that it owes less to Hooker himself than to the political influence of veterans' organizations.