Frelinghuysen Welcomes Edison Statue to the U.S. Capitol

Invites All to Visit Edison National Historic Park in West Orange, New Jersey

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Congressman Rodney Frelinghuysen (NJ-11) today welcomed a statue of late scientist and inventor Thomas Alva Edison to National Statuary Hall in the United States Capitol.  The statue will represent the state of Ohio, the birthplace and childhood home of Mr. Edison, as part of the National Statuary Hall Collection. As each state is given two representatives, Mr. Edison’s statue will join that of President James Garfield as Ohio’s contribution to the collection.

“Mr. Edison was one of the world’s and New Jersey’s most creative and prolific inventors, developing devices like the phonograph, the first talking doll, the “movie” camera, nickel-iron alkaline electric storage battery and, notably, the electric light system,” said Frelinghuysen.  “While he may have spent his earliest days in the Buckeye State, he did most of his genius work in New Jersey and I am proud to invite all Americans to visit the Thomas Edison National Historic Park in West Orange as the National Park Service celebrates its 100^th anniversary!” 

Thomas Alva Edison was born February 11, 1847 in Milan, Ohio.  In 1854, when he was seven, the family moved to Michigan, where Edison spent the rest of his childhood.  He also lived in Kentucky, Massachusetts and New York City before moving to Newark, New Jersey in 1870 and later on to Menlo Park, New Jersey.

In 1884, “The Wizard of Menlo Park” purchased a home known as "Glenmont" in 1886 as a wedding gift for his second wife in Llewellyn Park in West Orange.  The Thomas Edison National Historical Park preserves Edison's laboratory and residence in Essex County.  Edison’s 40 years of labor had a major impact on the lives of people across the globe. Out of these laboratories came his most notable inventions.  He holds nearly 1,100 U.S. patents, as well as many patents in the United Kingdom, France, and Germany. 

“By virtue of the work he did, largely in New Jersey, from 1970 to 1931, the whole world thought of him as a ‘genius,’” Frelinghuysen said.  “But the lesson of Edison’s life is that it takes hard work to succeed.  He reminded us that ‘Genius is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration.’"

“We are honored to welcome his statute to the Capitol of the United States.”

Learn more about the Thomas Edison National Historic Park here.