Presidential images, history, and homage: Memorializing Theodore Roosevelt, 1919-1967
Subject(s): Borglum, Gutzon, 1867-1941, Coolidge, Calvin, 1872-1933, Garfield, James Rudolph, 1865-1950, Hagedorn, Hermann, 1882-1964, Jefferson, Thomas, 1743-1826, Johnson, Lyndon B. (Lyndon Baines), 1908-1973, L'Enfant, Pierre Charles, 1754-1825, Lincoln Memorial (Washington, D.C.), Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865, McMillan, James, 1838-1902, Olmsted, Frederick Law, 1870-1957, Pope, John Russell, 1874-1937, Presidents--Monuments, Roosevelt Memorial Association, Root, Elihu, 1845-1937, South Dakota--Mount Rushmore National Memorial, Taft, William H. (William Howard), 1857-1930, Thomas Jefferson Memorial (Washington, D.C.), Villard, Oswald Garrison, 1872-1949, Washington (D.C.)--Theodore Roosevelt Island, Washington (D.C.)--Tidal Basin, Washington Monument (Washington, D.C.), Washington, George, 1732-1799
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Alan R. Havig examines the effort of the Roosevelt Memorial Association (RMA) to secure a site on the Washington, D.C., mall to erect a memorial to Theodore Roosevelt. Havig argues that it was not the grandiose design by architect John Russell Pope that doomed the proposal, but that many in and out of Congress felt that constructing a memorial to Roosevelt in the 1920s was too soon after his death. Other critics argued that Roosevelt had not yet earned a place among the memorials to George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. Havig notes that Roosevelt, while denied a monument in the nation’s capital, would gain a memorial on Theodore Roosevelt Island in 1967, and he would earn a place on South Dakota’s Mount Rushmore among the figures that he was deemed unworthy of joining in the 1920s.
Four illustrations, three photographs of memorials to Roosevelt, and the logo of the Theodore Roosevelt Association populate the essay.
Collection
Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal
Creation Date
2011
Creator(s)
Language
English
Period
Theodore Roosevelt and Public Memory (1919-present)
Page Count
11
Production Method
Record Type
Image
Resource Type
Rights
No permission is required from the Theodore Roosevelt Association to use items in the Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal collection for educational purposes. For permissions, contact William Tilchin at (516) 921-6319 or by email at wnt@bu.edu.
Citation
Cite this Record
Chicago:
Presidential images, history, and homage: Memorializing Theodore Roosevelt, 1919-1967. [2011]. Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal.
https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o308445. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
MLA:
Havig, Alan R., 1940-. Presidential images, history, and homage: Memorializing Theodore Roosevelt, 1919-1967. [2011]. Image.
Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. January 29, 2026. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o308445.
APA:
Havig, Alan R., 1940-., [2011]. Presidential images, history, and homage: Memorializing Theodore Roosevelt, 1919-1967.
Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
Retrieved from https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o308445.
Cite this Collection
Chicago:
Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/collection/theodore-roosevelt-association-journal. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
MLA:
Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. January 29, 2026. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/collection/theodore-roosevelt-association-journal.
APA:
Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. Retrieved from https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/collection/theodore-roosevelt-association-journal.