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NC Lt. Governor working to put Rev. Billy Graham statue in U.S. Capitol

Lieutenant Governor Dan Forest (R - N.C.) submitted a letter to the U.S. Capitol encouraging the architect of the Capitol building to replace the statue of former North Carolina Governor Charles B. Aycock with Reverend Billy Graham.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Lieutenant Governor Dan Forest (R - N.C.) submitted a letter to the U.S. Capitol encouraging the architect of the Statuary Hall to replace the statue of former North Carolina Governor Charles B. Aycock with Reverend Billy Graham.

In the letter, Forest called Rev. Graham one of North Carolina's "favorite sons" and said the evangelist "devoted his life to spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ and serving across the globe.

Back in April 2015, then-North Carolina governor Pat McCrory signed a law that approved the state's request to replace Aycock's statue at Statuary Hall in Washington D.C. with a statue of Rev. Graham.

Aycock was the North Carolina governor from 1901 to 1905. As the governor of the Tar Heel State, he developed a legacy as the "Education Governor," but was also known for advocating white supremacy and segregation, according to NBC Charlotte's sister station WFMY.

In 2017, a middle school in Greensboro renamed Aycock Middle School to Swann Middle School, after the late Melvin C. Swann Jr., WFMY reports.

Statuary Hall is a large, two-story room south of the Capitol Rotunda, according to the Architect of the Capitol's web page. It is considered one of the most popular rooms in the U.S. Capitol Building.

On Wednesday, Rev. Graham's casket will be brought to the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, where he will lie in honor in the Rotunda until Thursday. The tribute in Washington D.C. will make Rev. Graham the fourth private citizen to receive this honor.

RELATED: Rev. Billy Graham to lie in honor at U.S. Capitol Rotunda

Below is the full letter submitted by Forest:

February 27, 2018

Mr. Stephen T. Ayers

Architect of the Capitol

c/o Dr. Michele Cohen

SB-16, U.S. Capitol

Washington, D.C. 20515

Dear Mr. Ayers,

On February 21, 2018, North Carolina lost one of its favorite sons and the world lost a tremendous leader. Reverend William Franklin “Billy” Graham, Jr., born November 7, 1918 in Charlotte, North Carolina, devoted his life to spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ and serving others across the globe.

Session Law 2015-269, enacted by our General Assembly April 6, 2015 and signed into law by Governor Pat McCrory, requests the Joint Committee of the Library of Congress to approve North Carolina’s request to replace the statue of Governor Charles B. Aycock in Statuary Hall with a statue of the Reverend Billy Graham.

Today, as Lieutenant Governor of North Carolina and President of the North Carolina Senate, I write to encourage you to approve North Carolina’s request to replace Governor Aycock’s statue with one of Rev. Graham.

Sincerely,

Dan Forest

Lieutenant Governor

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