# Mt. Rushmore of your state **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 13, 2014, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mt-rushmore-of-your-state/683636 "2014-03-13T19:22:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![Deeg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/deeg/32/2955_2.png) [@Deeg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Deeg)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2014, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mt-rushmore-of-your-state/683636/121 "2014-03-17T21:40:47Z")
> [@StusBlues](#): > > I should think Emily Dickinson would fill out that spot rather well, probably in place of Russell - or Bell, given the controversy over how he may have poached the telephone patent. (I haven’t studied this in any kind of depth - if the “Bell steals patent” story has been debunked, please forgive me.) Maybe Dickinson instead of Emerson? Massachusetts will probably demand a minority and I can’t think of a candidate better than Russell (MLK attended school here but no way we can claim MLK); Russell is the most decorated athlete in team sports. Frederick Douglas lived in New Bedford for a while so he’s a possibility. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2014, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mt-rushmore-of-your-state/683636/122 "2014-03-17T23:23:17Z")
Tennessee-- Conway Twitty, Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, and Elvis. I wins da Interwebs. ---
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2014, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mt-rushmore-of-your-state/683636/123 "2014-03-17T23:37:06Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > Vermont, I assume. What was the tip-off? Ethan Allen or B&J? ---
**Author:** ![TexanCountryboy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/6f9a4e/32.png) [@TexanCountryboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TexanCountryboy)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2014, 5:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mt-rushmore-of-your-state/683636/124 "2014-03-18T05:11:00Z")
love this answer. ---
**Author:** ![AppallingGael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9bd4f/32.png) [@AppallingGael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AppallingGael)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2014, 5:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mt-rushmore-of-your-state/683636/125 "2014-03-18T05:30:53Z")
New York State. Well, which **Roosevelt**? Teddy means we only have to commission three sculptures, but he rode all those horses out west. On the other hand, Franklin used to drive a car, and that’s even more of a deal-breaker. Let’s compromise and take **Eleanor**. From literature, **Washington Irving**. Early, important, and NY-identified. Music: **Richard Rodgers** (granted, he stood on the shoulders of a dwarf). Visual arts: Sorry, conflict of interest. Other stuff: **Lou Gehrig**. Gets the nod over other athletes because he was born, lived, and died. Now we just to find an iron mountain. ---
**Author:** ![usedtobe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ec9cab/32.png) [@usedtobe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/usedtobe)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2014, 6:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mt-rushmore-of-your-state/683636/126 "2014-03-18T06:58:49Z")
Indiana: John Dillinger Charles Manson “Rev.” Jim Jones (Jonestown) Why, yes, I _did_ leave. ---
**Author:** ![Sicks\_Ate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Sicks\_Ate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sicks_Ate)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2014, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mt-rushmore-of-your-state/683636/127 "2014-03-18T13:00:33Z")
> [@StusBlues](#): > > That’s a darned fine list, but might I suggest Charlie Parker instead of Benton? You certainly may, he’s another one I wasn’t aware of…and I guess it depends on which form of artistic expression you’re partial to 🙂 Might throw Scott Joplin in there as well…wasn’t born and didn’t die here, but spent quite a bit of middle life. ---
**Author:** ![Fretful\_Porpentine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fretful_porpentine/32/2873_2.png) [@Fretful\_Porpentine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fretful_Porpentine)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2014, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mt-rushmore-of-your-state/683636/128 "2014-03-18T13:33:27Z")
Hmm, nobody’s done Mississippi yet: Medgar Evers William Faulkner Elvis Presley … and, as much as I kind of hate this one, Oprah Winfrey ---
**Author:** ![LonghornDave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a87d85/32.png) [@LonghornDave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LonghornDave)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2014, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mt-rushmore-of-your-state/683636/129 "2014-03-18T14:43:11Z")
> [@Sicks\_Ate](#): > > Harry Truman, Thomas Hart Benton, Samuel Clemens, Walter Cronkite > > I actually didn’t know about Cronkite until I just Googled out of curiosity. I always thought of Cronkite as a Texan. He moved to Houston as a kid, went to the University of Texas, narrated the great series of UT commercials ([What Starts Here Changes the World](http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLhpCkvmYnbhDnFyIAWDNDo0MIcUj9yuRm)), and donated his work papers to the Dolph Briscoe Center in Austin. ---
**Author:** ![StusBlues](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dc4da7/32.png) [@StusBlues](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StusBlues)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2014, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mt-rushmore-of-your-state/683636/130 "2014-03-18T14:48:57Z")
> [@usedtobe](#): > > Indiana: > > John Dillinger > Charles Manson > “Rev.” Jim Jones (Jonestown) > > Why, yes, I _did_ leave. Add Michael Jackson and you’ve got a fine foursome there. ---
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2014, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mt-rushmore-of-your-state/683636/131 "2014-03-18T15:12:18Z")
Illinois: Abraham Lincoln Bill Murray Jane Addams Vachel Lindsay And in the born-here-but-didn’t-do-much-while-here category: Walt Disney Ronald Reagan ---
**Author:** ![LonghornDave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a87d85/32.png) [@LonghornDave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LonghornDave)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2014, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mt-rushmore-of-your-state/683636/132 "2014-03-18T15:32:53Z")
Here’s my shot for Texas. I’m trying to get diversified list. Sam Houston - Should be a unanimous selection. He gets my vote as the statesman/politician on the list. Others considered are Stephen F. Austin, Davy Crockett, Jim Bowie, William Travis, Bob Bullock, Sam Rayburn, and many others. Nolan Ryan - He’s my vote as athlete over Tom Landry, Earl Campbell, Babe Didrikson, Ben Hogan, and Roger Staubach. Willie Nelson - He’s my top entertainer over Bob Wills, Buddy Holly, Janis Joplin, Stevie Ray Vaughan, and George Strait. H.L. Hunt - He’s my top businessman over Howard Hughes, Ross Perot, George Mitchell, Sid Richardson, and many others. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2014, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mt-rushmore-of-your-state/683636/133 "2014-03-18T16:22:41Z")
> [@AppallingGael](#): > > New York State. Well, which **Roosevelt**? Teddy means we only have to commission three sculptures, but he rode all those horses out west. On the other hand, Franklin used to drive a car, and that’s even more of a deal-breaker. Let’s compromise and take **Eleanor**. Teddy is already on the REAL Mount Rushmore, so it’s only fair FDR gets the New York mountain. ---
**Author:** ![Tully\_Mars](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7ab992/32.png) [@Tully\_Mars](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tully_Mars)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2014, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mt-rushmore-of-your-state/683636/134 "2014-03-18T21:53:28Z")
> [@pravnik](#): > > Sam Houston, Davy Crockett, Stevie Ray Vaughn, and Willie Nelson. I would replace Davy Crockett. He really didn’t have much of an impact on Texas history. Replace him with Santa Anna. Texas would not even exist as a state without him. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2014, 9:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mt-rushmore-of-your-state/683636/135 "2014-03-21T09:24:35Z")
> [@Tethered\_Kite](#): > > MN - > > Ann Bancroft > Walter Mondale > Bob Dylan > Kate Millett > > Or- > > Prince Rogers Nelson > Judy Garland > Warren Burger > F. Scott Fitzgerald No Garrison Keillor? There’ve been several suggestions for Oregon above, but they all missed the most famous Oregonian of them all. In fact, may I suggest: Tonya Harding, Tonya Harding, Tonya Harding, and Tonya Harding PS although we may want to fit Jeff Gillooly in there somewhere… ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2014, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mt-rushmore-of-your-state/683636/136 "2014-03-22T15:04:11Z")
> [@astorian](#): > > And wouldja believe… Naismith is the ONLY man who ever had a losing record as head coach of the Jayhawks basketball team! Oh _ **hell** _ no, not John Brown. He was a terrorist, and I wouldn’t want him. I don’t give a hoot about that famous painting of him in the statehouse. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mt-rushmore-of-your-state/683636.md?page=6)