Thomas Watson statue removed from front of Gold Dome

• Joeff Davis
• The Thomas Watson statue no longer stands in front of the state Capitol.

Last Friday, without fanfare or advanced warning, state officials removed the Thomas Watson statue from the front of the Georgia Capitol, where it's stood for more than 80 years. (In fact, tomorrow would have marked the 81st anniversary of the statue's presence in front of the Gold Dome.)

The announcement of the statue being moved to a fenced-off park across the street was first made public in an executive order by Gov. Nathan Deal on Oct. 4, 2013. The decision was controversial. For some, the statue represented racism and religious bigotry. Others compared its removal to the destruction of 2,000-year-old Buddha statues by the Taliban in Afghanistan. The statue's actual removal date was unannounced and took place Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, with few onlookers. State offices were closed in observance of Robert E. Lee's Birthday.

• http://clatl.com/atlanta/ImageArchives?by=1223504
• A screen shot of the cover of the Dec. 4, 1932 Atlanta Journal

The scene outside the Capitol 81 years ago, when thousands of people reportedly gathered in front of the Gold Dome to see the statue's unveiling, was much different. Speeches were given by politicians, including Gov.-elect Eugene Talmadge, who declared that "Tom Watson made history in his fight for the people, " and former Alabama Gov. Tom Heflin who called Watson "the greatest apostle of Democracy since Jefferson." It is interesting that nowhere in the lengthy front page Atlanta Journal article about the ceremony, is any mention of Watson's belief's in white supremacy and anti-Semitism which led many, including, former Gov. Roy Barnes and the Anti-Defamation League to cheer when it was announced that the statue would be moved. After the announcement the Anti-Defamation League issued a statement calling Watson a "notorious racist and anti-Semitic." (Full disclosure: I wrote an editorial and stated an online petition last spring calling for the statue's removal).

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What will replace the Thomas Watson statue, which once sat in arguably the most prominent spot on the Capitol's grounds, remains to be seen. Although no plans exist, some are calling for the erection of a statue of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., whose life and legacy still draws tens of thousands of tourists to Atlanta each year.

• Joeff Davis
• The Thomas Watson now stands in Talmadge Plaza.

The Thomas Watson statue now stands in Talmadge Plaza across the street from the Gold Dome behind a locked gate. Where the statue used to stand, this morning stood an empty hole and a pile of soft concrete. Landscaping on both the new and old site is expected to be finished by the end of the week.