There are 23 statues of notable people from Connecticut’s history along the Connecticut State Capitol Building walls. On the west side of the second level of the south portico stands, since 1987, the statue of Ella Grasso, Connecticut’s 83rd governor, the first female governor of Connecticut, and the first elected female governor in the US in her own right. Her statue is the only woman statue outside the Capitol building. Grasso was born and raised in Connecticut. She served at the Connecticut House of Representatives 1952-1957, was the 64th Secretary of the State of Connecticut 1959-1971, and represented Connecticut at the US House of Representatives 1971-1975. On January 8th, 1975, Grasso took office as the 83rd Governor of Connecticut and served in this position till December 31st, 1980, when she resigned after diagnosed with ovarian cancer. Less than two months later, she passed away. The statue is 6′ by 2.5′ by 2′ high, made from marble. Grasso wears a skirt and a jacket, holding a book in her left hand and waving on her right. Read more...