View complete article and references at Commemorative Landscapes of North Carolina at: https://docsouth.unc.edu/commland/monument/78

Description: This metal statue stands at a larger-than-life 8-feet-tall and rests on a 4-foot-tall base in Nash Square. Daniels is depicted wearing a long tail coat and trousers with a hat in one hand; his other arm extends towards the sky. Below the standing figure of Daniels is a pedestal which contains a plaque to commemorate Daniels' life.

Inscription:
Front: JOSEPHUS DANIELS / EDITOR, AUTHOR, PUBLIC OFFICIAL / SON OF / JOSEPHUS DANIELS AND MARY CLEAVES SEABROOK / BORN IN WASHINGTON, NC / MAY 18, 1862 / MARRIED TO ADDIE WORTH BAGLEY OF RALEIGH / MAY 2, 1888 / DIED IN RALEIGH, NC / JANUARY 15, 1948 / EDITOR, WILSON ADVANCE / 1880-1885 / OWNER AND EDITOR, THE NEWS AND OBSERVER / 1894-1948 / SECRETARY OF THE NAVY / 1913-1921 / AMBASSADOR TO MEXICO / 1933-1942 / TRUSTEE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA / 1901-1948

Dedication date: 9/24/1985

Creator: Janos Farkas, Sculptor

Materials & Techniques: The statue is constructed of metal atop a granite base and placed on a concrete foundation.

Sponsor: Josephus Daniels Charitable Foundation

Subject notes: Daniels was well known in North Carolina for his position as editor of the News and Observer from 1894 to 1948. At the national level, he became a well-known statesman after he served two government jobs; he was the Secretary of the Navy from 1913 to 1921 and served as the ambassador to Mexico from 1933 to 1942.

Controversies: The statue was removed from Nash Square on June 16, 2020. The Daniels family made the request in response to the changing political climate in the country in the wake of the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis and the legacy of Josephus Daniels' racist beliefs and role as a white supremacist supporter of the 1898 racial violence led by white supremacists in Wilmington.

Location: The monument was located in the far right corner of Nash Square near the corner of West Hargett Street and South McDowell Street.

Landscape: There are a few bushes and a medium size tree near the monument. The monument itself is located on the side of the walkway.

City: Raleigh

County: Wake

Subjects: Historic Civic Figures,Historic Political Figures