The most prominent statue associated with the capitol is, of course, the gilded lady perched on top: Wisconsin. She does literally have a badger on her head, but we can’t exactly claim her as a grad. We can confidently — and proudly — claim Vel Phillips LLB’51 as a Badger. You can find her statue on South Hamilton Street on the corner of the capitol grounds. When her likeness was installed at the capitol in July 2024, Phillips made history as one of the first Black women to have her own statue placed on any state capitol property. Phillips, one of the most active Civil Rights leaders and barrier-breakers in Wisconsin’s history, was also the first Black woman to graduate from the UW Law School; the first female and first African American to serve on the Milwaukee Common Council; Milwaukee’s first female judge; Wisconsin’s first African American judge; and the state’s first female and first Black secretary of state. Inside the capitol rotunda, you’ll see the bust of another Badger: “Fighting Bob” La Follette 1879, LLD1901. A leader of early 20th-century Progressivism, La Follette served as a U.S. senator and representative, as well as the Wisconsin governor from 1900 to 1906.