Joan Hartley

Waterbury Native to Be as a Commander in the French Legion of Honor

WATERBURY, CT—This weekend, Senator Joan Hartley (D-Waterbury) will travel to Paris, France to attend in a ceremony inducting United States Ambassador to France Jane Hartley as a Commander in the French Legion of Honor. Established in 1802, the Legion of Honor is the highest French order for military and civil merits.

Ambassador Hartley, a Waterbury native has been serving under President Obama as the Ambassador to France and Monaco since 2014. She served during some of the most challenging times in recent French history, representing the US in solidarity with the French government during the Charlie Hebdo attack, the attempted terrorist attack on a train, which was averted by 3 US citizens, the truck attack in Nice, which claimed French and US lives, and other tragedies.

Ambassador Hartley has arranged for the donation of a sculpture by the famed American artist Jeff Koons to the people of France as a sign of unity and solidarity in memory of the 2015 attacks on Paris. The sculpture will be permanently installed next year in the front plaza of the Museum of Modern Art in Paris.

More information about the donation of this sculpture can be found in the New York Times.