The Topeka Capital-Journal reports that a small crowd turned out Wednesday as the statue was dedicated on Kansas Avenue. It joins statues of four other significant Topekans, including Washburn University’s namesake, Ichabod Washburn.
Curtis’s mother was a member of the Kaw Nation.
Historian Deb Goodrich says that when he ran for vice president, much was made of the fact that he was descended of both pilgrims and Indians.
Curtis was born in Topeka and spent many of his childhood years either there or with his grandparents on the Kaw Reservation. He attended Topeka High School and went on to become a lawyer, eventually opening his own practice in Topeka.