The Architect
Bertram Grosvenor Goodhue was born in Pomfret, Connecticut on April 28, 1869. His early years were spent studying the arts and humanities at home. From his study of the classics, Goodhue learned of the great architectural styles and monuments of the ages. He later used this classical foundation in the design of the Nebraska State Capitol.
Goodhue, age 38 (Historical Society)
The Sculptor
Lee Lawrie was born in Rixdorf, Germany, in 1877, and came to America with his family at the age of four. His artistic talent revealed itself first as he sketched and drew the world around him as a young boy. At fourteen he was hired to do odd jobs in a sculptor’s studio, there he taught himself to model clay in the evenings. Within a year he had improved his skill and was allowed to translate models into full size sculpture for the Chicago Columbian Exposition of 1893. Later he worked in the studio of Beaux Arts sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens.
Lee Lawrie ( Bisonwerks )
The Artist
Hildreth Meiere was born in New York City in 1892 to a household where art was an important part of life.
Hildreth Meiere, circa 1930 (OCC/NCC)
The Philosopher
Hartley Burr Alexander, Professor of Philosophy, was born in Lincoln, Nebraska, in 1873. He spent his youth in the Midwest and his school years in Syracuse, Nebraska. He received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Nebraska in 1897.
Hartley Burr Alexander Bust ( Nebraska Capitol )