In 1956, McGann Foundry in Somerville Cast the John Barry Statue Before Shipping to County Wexford
Photo Courtesy of National Museum of the U.S. Navy Photograph Collection In 1956, the heroic-sized statue of Commodore John Barry,"Father of the American Navy,"designed by American sculptor Wheeler Williams of Madison, CT was cast at the T.F. McCann & Sons Foundry in Somerville, MA before being shipped to Wexford, Ireland, where Barry was born in 1745. The statue was a gift of the people of the United States to the people of Ireland. US Congressman and Speaker of the House John McCormack from South Boston introduced the idea of selecting John Barry as the most suitable Irish-born hero in the American Revolution. He instructed Congressman John Rooney of Brooklyn, NY, to introduce a resolution for $30,000 for the memorial. Williams was selected by the American Battle Memorials Commission and President Harry S. Truman convened a national John Barry Commission, which included Robert Fitzgerald from Milton, MA. Williams began making sketches in 1954, and after the commission...