Statue of Nathan Hale (Chicago)

Nathan Hale is a bronze statue of American Revolutionary War hero Nathan Hale (1755–1776) which stands in front of the Tribune Tower in Chicago, Illinois. The statue depicts Hale moments before he was executed for spying on the Kingdom of Great Britain. The original statue was sculpted in 1899 by Bela Pratt and installed at Yale University in 1914. The Chicago replica, created by Guido Gargani and installed in 1940, stands on a granite base designed by architect Leo Weissenborn. Originally located in the Nathan Hale Courtyard, also known as the Nathan Hale Court, the statue was relocated in the 2010s when the Tribune Tower was converted into residential units. It now faces the building along Michigan Avenue.

Chicago Tribune founder Colonel Robert R. McCormick, a World War I veteran who became a staunch isolationist during the lead up to World War II, led efforts to install a replica of Pratt's statue beginning in 1927. He had been a longtime supporter of the Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) program, which prepares students to enter the military. He wanted to install a statue of an American patriot and dedicate it to younger generations, who he hoped would show the same courage. The statue was first displayed at WGN's radio studio during a special event and the dedication and unveiling took place a few months later on June 4, 1940. The dedication, which included a parade of 10,000 ROTC cadets, was attended by tens of thousands of onlookers. The statue of Hale in Chicago is one of several replicas on display in the United States, including ones in New York City and Washington, D.C.