Thomas Fallon Statue (San Jose, California)

 memorial, monument, equestrian statue

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Thomas Fallon was the tenth Mayor of San Jose, California. The statue presents Fallon as a horseman in cowboy/explorer attire, facing west and mounted on his horse. His steed is face up a grade and Fallon is hoisting an American flag up a flagpole. There is a second mounted rider behind him. The statue commissioned in 1988 by Mayor Tom McEnery. It was in storage for many years and was not installed at this site until 2002. The plaque refers to Fallon as a captain, who had appointed himself this rank.

The plaque in front of the statue is flush with the concrete surface. It reads:

CAPTAIN THOMAS FALLON
1990
ARTIST: ROBERT GLEN

This statue of Captain Fallon was completed
in 1988. It memorializes the raising of the U.S. flag in San
Jose in 1846 when California was still part of Mexico.
Scheduled to be installed in 1990, the statue generated an
intense controversy. Supporters of the statue believed
that it commemorated an important historic even in San
Jose history. Opponents of the statue responded that it
represented a troubled moment in American history,
when the United States used the Mexican-American War
as a reason to annex California from Mexico. To address
the issues arising from the controversy, the City
appointed a Historic Art Advisory Committee.
The Committee recommended that the City's public art
must represent all perspectives of the City's history. Four
additional projects were recommended - artworks
commemorating the Ohlone Way of Life, the life of Dr.
Ernesto Galerca, the Founding of the Pueblo and the
Agricultural History of the Valley. These works have been
installed in various locations around the City. This artwork
is a reminder that a community's historic events can be
interpreted in many ways, depending on one's
perspective.

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