Pope, John Russell, 1874-1937

Report concerning the agreement reached between the National Commission of Fine Arts and the Roosevelt Memorial Association, later called the Theodore Roosevelt Association, regarding the location and appearance of the Theodore Roosevelt Memorial. The report also discusses the involvement of landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted and architect John Russell Pope in the development of the memorial and lists the conclusions they have reached regarding the projects.

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Island National Memorial

Creation Date

1930

Creator(s)

United States. Commission of Fine Arts.

Letter from the Olmsted Brothers landscape architecture firm detailing their progress on the Theodore Roosevelt Memorial to Gisela Westoff, Assistant Secretary of the Roosevelt Memorial Association, later Theodore Roosevelt Association. Upon the request of the architect John Russell Pope, a member of the Olmsted Brothers firm reports that the terrain of the island has been examined thoroughly. The letter goes on to apologize for a delay in plans due to one of the Olmsted brothers being ill and reports that Henry Vincent Hubbard has taken over the project.

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Island National Memorial

Creation Date

1932-10-26

Creator(s)

Unknown

Fragment of an article concerning the decision of the Roosevelt Memorial Association, later called the Theodore Roosevelt Association, to build the Theodore Roosevelt Memorial on Analostan. The article discusses the retention of architect John Russell Pope, speculates on what the memorial might look like when finished and talks about the overall beautification of Washington.

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Island National Memorial

Creation Date

1932

Creator(s)

Unknown

Gregory A. Wynn describes the nineteen page book produced by the Roosevelt Memorial Association to promote the construction of a Theodore Roosevelt memorial in Washington, D.C. Wynn also examines other projects undertaken in the nation’s capital by the project’s architect, John Russell Pope.  Wynn discusses why the proposed memorial failed to be built, and he compares its design to the National World War II Memorial. A photograph of Wynn and photographs of the book’s cover and title page appear in the article. 

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

Creation Date

2011

Creator(s)

Wynn, Gregory A.

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

John A. Gable tells the story of the creation of a national memorial to Theodore Roosevelt on an island in the Potomac River. Gable looks at the origins of the memorial idea in the 1920s, cites the efforts of the leadership of the Theodore Roosevelt Association (TRA) to secure a site, discusses the memorial built on the island, and describes the natural environment found on Theodore Roosevelt Island.

A photograph of three of Roosevelt’s children on the island, Alice Roosevelt Longworth, Edith Roosevelt Derby, and Archibald B. Roosevelt, accompanies the article.

A listing of the officers of the TRA along with the members of the executive, finance, and Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace committees is on the second page of the article.

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

John A. Gable examines Theodore Roosevelt’s connections to the American Museum of Natural History in New York City. He looks at its founding by Roosevelt’s father, notes the many specimens donated by Roosevelt, and highlights contributions made to the museum in various capacities by other members of the Roosevelt family. Gable details the design, construction, and contents of the museum’s Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Hall, including its murals and dioramas featuring scenes from Roosevelt’s life and work.

Photographs of the interior and exterior of the Memorial Hall as well as one of James Earle Fraser’s equestrian statue of Roosevelt outside of the museum accompany the article. A full page photograph of one of the dioramas, depicting a scene near Roosevelt’s Elkhorn Ranch, is also found in the article.

A listing of the officers of the Theodore Roosevelt Association as well as the members of its executive, finance, and Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace committees is found on the second page of the article.

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

Alan R. Havig explores the ways in which Franklin D. Roosevelt (FDR) used the memory and legacy of Theodore Roosevelt (TR) to advance his own political career and causes. In doing so, he actually helped burnish the reputation of Theodore Roosevelt as a Progressive reformer. He looks closely at the 1920 campaign when FDR, the Democratic Vice-Presidential candidate, attacked the Republican nominee, Warren G. Harding, for denouncing TR and the Progressives in 1912. Havig examines how FDR attacked the Republicans for abandoning TR’s Progressive legacy and how FDR’s adoption of TR’s mantle led to a long feud between the two wings of the Roosevelt family. He also looks at how FDR supported the construction of the Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Hall at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City. 

Havig also looks at how FDR used TR in 1936 to argue that the latter’s Square Deal had been a predecessor to his New Deal program. FDR, on the occasion of the dedication of the Roosevelt Memorial Hall in January 1936, quoted extensively from TR to demonstrate that he would have supported FDR’s extensive use of government to address the problems faced by the nation in the 1930s.

Guide to thirteen different sites associated with Theodore Roosevelt from historic homes to national parks and small towns. Many of the sites are administered by the National Park Service. The directory names each site, gives a brief description and history, and provides directions for visitors.  

Photographs of the front of the Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace National Historic Site and of the equestrian statue of Theodore Roosevelt in front of the American Museum of Natural History, both in New York City, accompany the guide. The statue was removed in January 2022.

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

This notice covers the research grants awarded by The American Museum of Natural History in New York City  from its Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Fund for 1978. Forty grants were awarded, with the largest grants being given to three researchers highlighted in the article. The article lists the members of the Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Committee which administers the fund, and it traces the growth of the program in numbers of applicants, awards granted, and value of the fund. Theodore Roosevelt had a life-long interest in natural history and the Theodore Roosevelt Association has worked to continue this through its support of the research grant program. The article notes that the American Museum of Natural History contains the Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Hall which is the official New York State memorial to Roosevelt.

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

Creation Date

1978

Creator(s)

Unknown

This notice covers the research grants awarded by The American Museum of Natural History in New York City  from its Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Fund for 1977. Forty grants were awarded, with the largest grants being given to six researchers highlighted in the article. The article lists the members of the Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Committee which administers the fund, and it traces the growth of the program in numbers of applicants, awards granted, and value of the fund. Theodore Roosevelt had a life-long interest in natural history and the Theodore Roosevelt Association has worked to continue this through its support of the research grant program. The article notes that the American Museum of Natural History contains the Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Hall which is the official New York State memorial to Roosevelt.

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

Creation Date

1977

Creator(s)

Unknown