Quote from billycgribble on March 17, 2014, 6:16 pm

Many statues and monuments to General Grant. Many So Called Dollars. Here is one of the missed ones. It is rather unique because most of the medallic and token production, which was massive, has busts of Grant in uniform, monuments in uniform, riding his horse in a uniform etc. This is one of the very few portraying Grant the Statesman rather than Grant the military hero. One of the only in full body figure, with civilian statesmen dress. The work and dedication was the result of Henry Kohlstaat a Chicago businessman from Galena, Illinois. He commissioned Danish artist Johannes Gelert to produce it. General Grant had always declared Galena, Illinois was his adopted home. Kohlstaats plan was to get everything done and in place while Grant was temporarily interned in New York. He felt Grants family would then select Galena as Grant's final resting putting Galena on the map. Unfortunately Grants widow said it was too far for her to travel to visit her husbands grave and quashed the whole plan.