Lone Star in the Capital: Doggett, Daughters of the Republic of Texas Unveil Base of Republic of Texas Legation Memorial
Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Representative Lloyd Doggett (D-TX), Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Fish and Wildlife and Parks Kevin Lilly, a fellow Texan, and the Elisabet Ney Chapter of the Daughters of the Republic of Texas unveiled the Lone Star base of the Republic of Texas Legation Memorial at 630 Indiana Avenue NW, adjacent to its intersection with Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, D.C. The memorial was approved by Congress in legislation authored by Doggett, the Republic of Texas Legation Memorial Act. It memorializes the Texans who worked for almost a decade to negotiate the admission of Texas into the United States as the 28th state.
Congressman Lloyd Doggett (fourth from right) with Assistant Secretary of the Interior Kevin Lilly, Priscilla Roberts, Kitty Hoeck, Grace Boatright, members of the Elisabet Ney Chapter of the Daughters of the Republic of Texas and National Park Service staff at the ceremony marking the start of construction of the Republic of Texas Legation Memorial on Indiana Avenue NW, November 5, 2026.
The Lone Star base, a five-pointed star of white Mount Airy granite, sits in an existing granite planter on the 600 block of Indiana Avenue NW, steps from the U.S. Navy Memorial. Today’s unveiling marks the start of construction of the memorial. The site sits among five of the eight places where, according to research by the Daughters of the Republic of Texas, the Legation’s diplomats lived and worked out of boarding houses and hotels, including the site of today’s Navy Memorial, where Texas Minister Memucan Hunt resided in 1837 and 1838.
“As a native Texan with more pride in our State after the recent election than ever before, I am pleased that this new monument recognizes an important part of our Texas heritage," said Congressman Doggett. “For almost a decade, eight different Texans conducted negotiations for the admission of Texas into the United States as the 28th state. This will likely become another point of interest especially for Texas visitors to our capital.”
“When tourists come to our Nation’s capital, they are likely unaware of an important piece of Texas lore that hides in plain sight: the lost landmarks of the Republic of Texas Legation in Washington,” he continued. “Its diplomats were sent on the very long and difficult journey from Texas to Washington, and Americans traveling in Europe can find plaques in both London and Paris that commemorate the Texas Legation. Washington had not followed suit. Most appropriately, this work has been spearheaded by the Daughters of the Republic of Texas, our State’s oldest patriotic women’s organization, and Kitty Hoeck has led the way, proving that one person can make a difference with their tenacity and determination.”
“The history of the Texas Legation did not end with the annexation of Texas in 1845. Today, it lives on through the strength of the multicultural and multilingual communities that make our Lone Star State so dynamic,” shared the Congressman. “With this memorial, all those who visit our Nation’s Capital will have the opportunity to learn about this turning point in our Nation’s history and reflect on the sacrifices made by the brave diplomats who made it possible. Because Texas history is America’s history.”
About the memorial
Modest in scale, the memorial will rise from the Lone Star base unveiled today: a five-sided plinth of white granite topped by the Daughters of the Republic of Texas medallion and engraved with the story of the Texas Legation, a map of the Republic of Texas and the names of the eight diplomats the Republic sent to Washington. Plantings native to Texas and the Mid-Atlantic will surround a single sweetbay magnolia, representing the Lone Star State. The site is federal land under the National Park Service.
Background
From 1836 to 1845, the Republic of Texas kept a diplomatic legation in Washington, working first for U.S. recognition and then for annexation; Texas became the 28th state on December 29, 1845. Doggett introduced the Republic of Texas Legation Memorial Act (H.R. 3349) in June 2019. It passed the House and Senate with bipartisan support and was signed into law on December 22, 2020. The Daughters then won final approval of the site and design from the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts and the National Capital Planning Commission in 2025 and raised the full cost privately; the law bars federal funds to build the memorial.
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