Senator William Joel Stone Monument

Senator William Joel Stone was the only Missourian ever to serve as a representative, governor, and U.S. Senator. His extraordinary life and work was honored with a memorial monument on October 11, 1935. The statue's inscription: "I stand unmoved for America." While he has been largely forgotten, his statue by sculptor Frederick Hibbard still stands as an impressive figurehead on the lawn of the Vernon County Courthouse. After some dispute over ownership and responsibility, the Senator William Joel Stone Monument was refurbished and rededicated on October 11, 2003, its 68th anniversary.

William Joel Stone was born in Madison County, Kentucky, on May 7, 1848. A descendent of Thomas Stone, who signed both the Articles of Confederation and the Declaration of Independence, he would effectively carry out the family tradition—serving as Congressman from 1885-1891, State Governor from 1893-1896, and U.S. Senator from 1903-1918. William Joel Stone began his career as a country lawyer and prosecuting attorney, after moving from Kentucky to study law at the University of Missouri and graduating in 1869. In 1870, he opened a law office in Nevada, Missouri, the city and county-seat where his monument is located. As a prosecutor, only in his twenties, he would play a role in the conviction of a member of the Jesse James gang. His arguably greatest work, however, was as chairman of the U.S. Senate’s Foreign Relations committee in 1917. As the United States was preparing to enter World War I, Senator William Joel Stone declared that:

I shall vote against this monstrous mistake this resolution for the declaration of war to prevent which I would willingly lay down my life but if the powers constitutionally authorized to speak for the people on their momentous issue shall decide for war then my eyes will be blind to everything but the flag of my country borne by American boys through the storm of war and my ears deaf to everything save the call of my country in its hour of peril.

When warned about the consequences of voting against the war, he responded:

I know what it means to me. I know this war is coming. I know the people are aflame with the spirit of battle. I know that it is inevitable. But would you have me consider my personal welfare in a case that involves millions of men, the heartaches of countless mothers, the breaking up of homes? I cannot vote to send our boys into this conflict, to involve our country in this struggle, the end of which we cannot see, and the results to our country and our civilization we cannot prophesy. I cannot so vote until further efforts have been made to avert the fearful sacrifices.

Only five other senators voted with him against joining the war in Europe, and his reputation was tarnished by newspapers and critics. On April 14, 1918, before his term ended and only a few months before the end of World War I, Senator William Joel Stone passed away of a cerebral hemorrhage. The Senate no sooner adjured than it convened, upon the news of his passing. He was buried in Deepwood Cemetery, Nevada, Missouri, and was survived by his wife Sarah Louise Winston and three children; Kimbrough (who would later become Judge Kimbrough Stone), Mabel, and Mildred.

In 1933, perhaps in response to the rumors growing in Europe of another impending war, the 57th General Assembly passed House Bill 540, creating a commission and appropriating $15,000 for the design and construction of a monument in honor of Senator William Joel Stone. The statue was created by Chicago sculptor Frederick Hibbard and the landscaping and walks designed by Wight and Wight Architects of Kansas City. Governor Guy Park of Missouri accepted the monument on behalf of the State during its dedication on October 11, 1935, and the William Joel Stone Memorial Association was founded to maintain, preserve, perpetuate, renew and extend the Memorial. Local business and schools closed for this special event; and, counted among the hundreds of attendees, were U.S. Senators Harry S. Truman (before his Presidency) and Bennett Clark, former U.S. Senator James A. Reed, Kansas City financier William T. Kemper, and Kansas City political boss Thomas J. Pendergast, along with other political and military officials and judges. Senator William Joel Stone’s granddaughter, Majorie Stone, unveiled the monument which had been erected at the southwest corner of the Vernon County Courthouse lawn.

Unfortunately, the monument fell into disrepair—becoming tarnished over the years just as the memory of Senator William Joel Stone faded. There was corrosion, stains, chips, cracks, and a need for landscaping. Its gold leaf was all but gone. The ownership of the monument and whose responsibility it was for its care became a topic of debate. After a twelve-year process, based on legal research conducted in 2002, ownership was finally acknowledged by the state of Missouri and (after some budgeting issues) the Division of State Parks, Department of Natural Resources completed a partial restoration in 2003. It was later included in the inventory of State property for future care. This whole effort was spearheaded by long-time Nevada resident and Vernon County Historical Society tour guide, Franklin Norman, as a cooperative effort between the Vernon County Historical Society (as a local sponsor and project manager), the city of Nevada, and the state of Missouri.

A rededication of the Senator William Joel Stone Monument took place on the morning of October 11, 2003, the 68th anniversary of the original ceremony. Some of his descendants brought memorabilia for display and Former Missouri Lt. Gov. William “Bill” C. Phelps (originally from Nevada and who was present at the original dedication in a baby buggy) gave the keynote address, sharing that:

Monuments are erected for those who have demonstrated courage and conviction and for those exceptional leaders who have taken principled actions for causes greater than themselves. For these reasons, we, as in past generations, honor Senator Stone’s public service. This monument stands for the kind of politician that our great nation needs today and the type of leadership that our country must have in the future.

After the State declined to restore grounds of Senator William Joel Stone Monument in 2004, efforts have been made to add it to the National Register for Historic Places.

Records from the Vernon County Historical Society, accessed April 2021.

McReynolds, Edwin C. Missouri: A History of the Crossroads State. Norman, Oklahoma. University of Oklahoma Press, 1962.