While Hale was on the gallows, he gave a speech which ended with his famous quote: "I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country."
The statue is a life-sized figure based on a design by sculptor Bela Lyon Pratt, with assistance from architect Douglas Orr and Roman Bronze Works.
The cast of the statue in Washington, D.C., which was donated by attorney George Dudley Seymour, is bronze and the pedestal is granite.
[3] When news reached of the Battles of Lexington and Concord in April 1775, he resigned from teaching and reportedly said "Let us march immediately and never lay down our arms until we obtain our Independence."
[4] He was stationed in Massachusetts to defend the city against the Kingdom of Great Britain's military forces, but the British were temporarily successful in capturing Boston in January 1776.
In September 1776, Hale offered to work as a spy, gathering intelligence about the British forces on Long Island.
After he left enemy territory, he was betrayed by a Loyalist cousin and was arrested for spying before he could reach colonial forces.
Before he died, Hale reportedly made a speech that ended with the phrase he's most known for in U.S. history: "I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country.
"[3][4][5] In 1893, the Sons of the Revolution dedicated the first statue to honor Hale, which was created by sculptor Frederick William MacMonnies.
[3] On April 18, 1948, Charles Seymour, president of Yale University, presented the statue to U.S. Attorney General Tom C. Clark in Washington, D.C. Amongst those in attendance was Connecticut Senator Brien McMahon, who served as master of ceremonies due to his authoring the Senate resolution which authorized the U.S. government to receive the gift.
[7][8] The statue is located in front of the Robert F. Kennedy Department of Justice Building, near the northwest corner of 13th Street and Constitution Avenue NW.
"[3] The statue depicts Hale as he prepares to die for spying on British forces during the American Revolutionary War.