Remarks on the Dedication of the National Gallery of Art: Charles Evans Hughes

Charles Evans Hughes, 11th chief justice of the United States (1930–1941) and chairman of the National Gallery of Art (1937–1941). The National Gallery of Art was created on March 17, 1937, by a joint resolution of Congress accepting the gift of financier and art collector Andrew W. Mellon. Designed by John Russell Pope, the West Building was made possible by construction funds provided by the A. W. Mellon Educational and Charitable Trust. In this speech, recorded during evening ceremonies on March 17, 1941, Chief Justice Hughes describes Mellon’s efforts to create a national art gallery for the people of the United States and introduces Paul Mellon, one of the featured speakers.