George Mason, Neglected Founding Father

Washington, DC

He resembles Washington and his first name is George, but George Mason wasn't honored with a monument until 2002. George Mason in bronze, by sculptor Wendy Ross, has a relaxed, slouchy pose on a marble outdoor bench, with his tri-corner hat, walking stick, and few books scattered beside him.

Mason is best known for writing the Virginia Declaration of Rights, an inspiration for Thomas Jefferson's later Declaration of Independence. According to the National Park Service, Mason is a "neglected" Founding Father and his "greatest act was withholding his signature from the United States Constitution [which he helped draft] because it did not abolish the slave trade."

Awkwardly, Mason was also one of Virginia's largest slaveowners, and never freed any of them, but that isn't mentioned on his monument.