Missouri House of Representatives, Hall of Famous Missourians

Welcome to the Hall of Famous Missourians Welcome to the Hall of Famous Missourians, honoring individuals who have been recognized for outstanding achievement or notoriety contributing to the Show Me State. The hall is a collection of bronze busts depicting these Missourians and a plaque describing their accomplishments and history. More than 30 busts occupy the third floor rotunda of the state capitol and honorees are selected only by the current Speaker of the Missouri House. We hope you enjoy this unique glimpse into a piece of the proud tradition of the Show Me State. Current Inductee
John Neihardt		John Neihardt, a poet and philosopher, was born in 1881 near Sharpsburg, Illinois. Neihardt and his family lived in Branson, Missouri for nearly 30 years. During his career, he was a professor of poetry at the University of Nebraska, a literary editor for the St. Louis Post- Dispatch and a poet-in-residence and lecturer at the University of Missouri–Columbia. At MU, he taught Epic America, which was popular during his tenure and for many years after his retirement when it was shown on television. He also gave his entire private library to MU Libraries in 1961. At the young age of 11, Neihardt began writing poetry. After graduating from Nebraska Normal College in Wayne at the age of 16, he taught in rural schools near Hoskins. He published his first book, The Divine Enchantment, based on Hindu mysticism when he was 16 years old. Beginning in 1908, Neihardt chronicled his trip by canoe down the Missouri River in The River and I. Neihardt is also remembered for writing accomplished works including A Cycle of the West, five epic poems chronicling settlement of the Great Plains and the displacement of Native Americans; and Black Elk Speak, which has been called the most influential book ever written on Native American culture and religion. In 1908, Neihardt married sculptress Mona Martinsen, who knew him only by correspondence before they decided to marry. During almost fifty years together, they had four children. After Neihardt died in 1973 in Columbia, Missouri, his ashes were scattered from an airplane into the Missouri River.