HR 4608119th CongressIn Committee

Francis G. Newlands Memorial Removal Act

Introduced: Jul 22, 2025

Sponsor: Del. Norton, Eleanor Holmes [D-DC-At Large] (D-District of Columbia)

Civil Rights & Justice

Standard Summary

Comprehensive overview in 1-2 paragraphs

This bill, the Francis G. Newlands Memorial Removal Act, would require the Secretary of the Interior to remove or permanently conceal the name of former Senator Francis G. Newlands from the memorial fountain at Chevy Chase Circle in Washington, DC. Specifically, it directs the Secretary to remove a brass plaque naming Newlands, remove a stone tablet at the memorial’s south end bearing his name and inscription, and remove or hide the name “Newlands” on the coping stones of the fountain. The removed items would be offered to Francis Griffith Newlands’s descendants for 60 days; if unclaimed, the items would become Federal property and be added to the Rock Creek Park museum collection managed by the National Park Service. The act would apply to the memorial fountain located at Chevy Chase Circle, Connecticut Avenue and Western Avenue NW, DC.

Key Points

1The Secretary of the Interior must remove or permanently conceal three specific items bearing the name of Francis G. Newlands from the memorial fountain grounds:
2- Brass plaque naming “Senator Francis G. Newlands.”
3- Stone tablet-like projection at the south end of the fountain’s face with the name “Francis Griffith Newlands” and a related inscription.
4- The name “Newlands” carved into the upper face of the fountain’s coping stones.
5The removed items must be offered for 60 days to the descendants of Francis Griffith Newlands; if unclaimed, they become Federal property and are accessioned into the Rock Creek Park museum collection by the National Park Service.
6The bill defines the “memorial fountain” as the fountain located at Chevy Chase Circle in the District of Columbia.

Impact Areas

Primary group/area affected:- Descendants of Francis Griffith Newlands (who would be contacted to claim the removed items).- Public users and visitors of the memorial fountain in Chevy Chase Circle, DC, who would experience a reduced or altered memorial.Secondary group/area affected:- National Park Service and Rock Creek Park museum collection (institutional custodianship, curation, and potential storage/display implications).- The broader public discourse on how historical figures are commemorated and how memorials may be altered or renamed.Additional impacts:- Administrative and potentially budgetary implications for removing inscriptions and managing the items (including potential exhibit or storage costs, and coordination with descendants).- Legal and policy implications related to de-naming or altering public monuments and memorials in national spaces.

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