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500 E. Capitol Ave.
Pierre, S.D. 57501
(605) 773-3212
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Wednesday, July 6, 2011
CONTACT: Jim Soyer at 773-5689
Public Invited to Dedication of Sutherland Historical Marker in Pierre
(Pierre)-- An historical marker honoring John T. Sutherland will be dedicated in Pierre on Saturday, July 9, at 1 p.m. by Governor Dennis Daugaard and former Governor Mike Rounds.
John Sutherland (1858-1941), organized and directed the three statewide campaigns in 1889, 1890 and 1904 that resulted in Pierre being selected the capital of South Dakota.
Marshall Damgaard, author of the The South Dakota State Capitol: The First Century, said, “Pierre won the final battle to become the state capital because of its central location, the prospect of booming growth, its incumbency, and John Sutherland. His plan was unyielding. His ground game was unstoppable.”
The dedication ceremony will start at 1pm in front of John Sutherland’s former home at 101 North Huron. It is at the corner of North Huron and West Capitol avenues, across the street from the state public safety building.
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Text of Historical Marker
John Sutherland and the Capital Fights
Born in Canada, John Sutherland taught school in Wisconsin and received his law degree from Brown University. He came to Dakota Territory in 1884. The young Scottish attorney led Pierre’s campaign committee to resounding victories in the “capital wars” of 1889, 1890, and 1904. In those raucous statewide elections, voters chose Pierre over Huron, Mitchell, Sioux Falls, Watertown, Chamberlain, and other challengers. Sutherland was a Progressive Republican. His 1904 capital campaign slogan, Stand Pat for Pierre, reflected his support for Theodore Roosevelt, whose 1904 re-election campaign theme was Stand Pat. In 1905, State Representative Sutherland introduced the legislation that started the construction of the State Capitol, which workers completed in 1910. Sutherland was president of the Pierre Board of Education and Pierre Board of Trade, as well as active in the South Dakota State Historical Society and Baptist Church. He died in 1941 and is buried in Pierre’s Riverside Cemetery. This house on the corner of North Huron and West Capitol Avenues was the Sutherland family home. The building across the street to the east was dedicated the John Sutherland Building in 2010 in honor of his contributions.