Statues--Planning

In accord with North Dakota Senator Hanna’s request, Theodore Roosevelt sat for sculptor Gustav Vigeland while he was in Oslo, Norway. However, Roosevelt still believes that the statue Hanna wishes to create should be of a cowboy or a pioneer farmer in order to better reflect the frontier days of North Dakota. Roosevelt believes that “no man should ever have a statue until he has been dead some little time.”

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1910-05-06

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

President Roosevelt tells Senator Wetmore that he is tempted to say that “it would be vandalism” to put the statue on the elliptical plat between the White House grounds and the Washington Monument. He also does not think the statue should be in Lafayette Square either, as there are too many statues there.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-04-11

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

Herman Fields asks Kermit Roosevelt to send photos of Theodore Roosevelt “in action” as reference for the statue that Gustav Vigeland is designing.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1911-05-02

Creator(s)

Fields, Herman

Recipient

Roosevelt, Kermit, 1889-1943

Chairman of the Vicksburg National Military Park Commission William T. Rigby thanks President Roosevelt for his contribution of $50 to the statue of General Stephen D. Lee being constructed in Vicksburg Park. Rigby encloses an article on the matter.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-09-28

Creator(s)

Rigby, William T. (William Titus), 1841-1929

Earl Grey, Governor General of Canada, would like to celebrate the 300th anniversary of Quebec by making the Plains of Abraham a national park and building an Angel of Peace statue there. He had noted to Adèle Le Bourgeios Chapin that he thinks it would be appropriate to get contributions from the United States, as the Plains of Abraham are part of its history as well. Chapin would like to ask Grey’s American friends to contribute to the statue’s fund, or perhaps even to give the statue as a gift, and asks President Roosevelt’s opinion on the advisability of this idea.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-02-07

Creator(s)

Chapin, Adèle Le Bourgeois, 1862-1938

Samuel Harden Church informs President Roosevelt’s secretary William Loeb that the sculptor Rodin has expressed interest in sculpting a bust or statue of the president that expresses his “tremendous energy and vitality.” Church recommends the Art Halls of the Carnegie Institute as a logical location for the statue.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1906-08-02

Creator(s)

Church, Samuel Harden, 1858-1943

Franklin Murphy updates President Roosevelt on the progress of procuring a statue for the McKinley Memorial. The committee could not afford Augustus Saint-Gaudens, Roosevelt’s recommendation, and have instead commissioned Charles Henry Niehaus. Murphy is encouraged by Senator John F. Dryden’s recent proposals regarding life insurance.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1905-08-17

Creator(s)

Murphy, Franklin, 1846-1920

Augustus Saint-Gaudens discusses the work he completed for a medal, upcoming work for coins, and the reasons he cannot work on a statue of William McKinley.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1905-07-06

Creator(s)

Saint-Gaudens, Augustus, 1848-1907

Arthur von Briesen informs President Roosevelt that he is currently working on a reply to the charge that Roosevelt is an enemy of Germans, and will send him a copy of it once it is completed. He also tells Roosevelt about his recent historical investigations into a sword that was said to have been given by Frederick II, King of Prussia, to George Washington

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1904-10-12

Creator(s)

Briesen, Arthur von, 1843-1920

Secretary of State Hay suggests appointing Herbert H. D. Peirce, Theo. A. Bingham, and Commander Raymond Perry Rodgers to a committee that will oversee the ceremonies for unveiling the statue of General Rochambeau.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1902-03-27

Creator(s)

Hay, John, 1838-1905