WATCH: Statue of Rev. Billy Graham unveiled in U.S. Capitol

A statue of the late Rev. William Franklin "Billy" Graham was unveiled inside the U.S. Capitol on Thursday.

The sculpture of Graham, who was born in Charlotte, North Carolina, will replace the one of former Gov. Charles Aycock, who served in the early 1900s and had ties to the white supremacy movement at that time.

Graham, who advised U.S. presidents from Dwight Eisenhower to George W. Bush, was one of the most famous evangelists of the 20th century and supported civil rights.

"He brought together people of different faiths and different races. Today, we acknowledge that he is a better representation of our state than the statue it replaces, which brought memories of a painful history of racism," said North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper.

Graham was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1983 and the Congressional Gold Medal in 1996 with his wife Ruth. He was made an honorary knight by the British ambassador to the U.S. in 2001. He died in 2018 at the age of 99.

This post was edited and produced by Timothy McPhillips, Julia Griffin and Shyla Duff.

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