William Orton: “Today I join my fellow Utahns in celebrating Utah's Statehood Centennial. One hundred years ago, on January 4, 1896, my…”

“Today I join my fellow Utahns in celebrating Utah's Statehood Centennial. One hundred years ago, on January 4, 1896, my home State of Utah became the 45th State in the Union. Utah had spent nearly 50 years attempting to become a State, and had been turned down six times by 1896. But the patriotic and pioneering spirit of those who settled in the Utah territory prevailed, and the news of the long sought after statehood was received with great rejoicing and enthusiasm as thousands of citizens participated in parades and celebrations on that cold January morning, celebrations being reenacted in Utah today. Over the past 100 years, citizens of Utah have served our great Nation with distinction through military, government, civic, and religious activities. Today, Utah enjoys the strongest economy and is among the most rapidly growing States in the Nation. It is without prejudice that we declare Utah to be the greatest place on Earth. It is my honor to serve the people of Utah in this, the people's House of Representatives. Today, we in the Congress honor the contributions which Utahns have made to our Nation over the past century and look forward with great anticipation to the opportunities of service to one another in the next century.”