Artist chosen for Norman Borlaug statue at the U.S. Capitol

A South Dakota sculptor has been chosen to make a statue of Cresco native Dr. Norman Borlaug that will be displayed in the U.S. Capitol.

Benjamin Victor will become the youngest artist ever to have a sculpture in the National Statuary Hall in the United States Capitol.

Each state can honor two of its residents with a statue in the U.S. Capitol
building. States can replace the statues if a resolution to do so is approved by a state's legislature and governor.

In 2011, the Iowa Legislature approved a proposal by State Senator Mary Jo Wilhelm of Cresco to place a statue of Howard County native Dr. Norman Borlaug in the United States Capitol Building. Iowa's current statues depict Civil War era leaders Gov. Samuel Kirkwood and Sen. James Harlan. The statue of Sen. Harlan will be replaced.

Borlaug, who died in 2010 at age 95, conducted groundbreaking work in breeding varieties of wheat that led to unprecedented increases in food production and averted famines around the world. His success is believed to have saved up to a billion people from starvation. Borlaug was internationally recognized for his work, receiving a Nobel Peace Prize, a Presidential Medal of Freedom and a Congressional Gold Medal.