Imagining Tr: Commemorations and Representations Of
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IMAGINING TR: COMMEMORATIONS AND REPRESENTATIONS OF THEODORE ROOSEVELT IN TWENTIETH-CENTURY AMERICA A Dissertation by JENNIFER DAWN HETH Submitted to the Office of Graduate and Professional Studies of Texas A&M University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY Chair of Committee, Terry H. Anderson Committee Members, David Vaught Adam R. Seipp Stephen Caffey Head of Department, David Vaught December 2014 Major Subject: History Copyright 2014 Jennifer Dawn Heth ABSTRACT By examining monuments and memorials dedicated to Theodore Roosevelt in the twentieth century, this dissertation exposes the commemorators’ conscious and unconscious perceptions of masculinity and American identity visible in commemorative statuary. The monuments’ patrons and artists adapted the nation’s collective memory of Roosevelt to suit spatial and temporal variables, including their proposed messages, the monuments’ geographic and situational locations, along with their intended audiences. This dissertation illustrates how commemorators employed specific incarnations of Roosevelt’s multifaceted personality, from Rough Rider to hunter-explorer to statesman, to produce permanent, prominent, and didactic symbols through which to broadcast their values and ideals to both their contemporaries and future generations of Americans. These monuments are not mere reflections of the eras that produced them, however; they serve as portals into contemporary Americans’ sense of self and their understanding of national themes and politics. These visual elements produce evidence not found in textual representations. Over five chapters, this dissertation explores examples of commemorators’ efforts to select a representation of Roosevelt and reveals their use of his image as an example of rugged, vigorous masculinity as well as the embodiment of Americanism. The monuments in this dissertation represent a broad geographical area, from Portland, Oregon, on the west coast to Washington, D.C., and New York City on the east coast, with Minot, North Dakota, and Keystone, South Dakota, centrally located in between. The time frame stretches from immediately following Roosevelt’s death in January 1919 ii through the dedication of the national memorial on Theodore Roosevelt Island in 1967, with most of the commemorative efforts originating in the mid-1920s. Despite the changing historical contexts of the monuments’ dedications, these structures illustrate Roosevelt’s continued relevance and the transposibility of his image across decades and geographic spaces. Finally, although the intended audiences may have been local, regional, or national, these monuments all express issues of national significance. Sources examined include newspaper commentary of proposed and constructed monuments; artists’ and architects’ personal papers, correspondence, and drawings, along with photographs of design models; as well as the materials of the monuments’ patrons, particularly personal and government reports, correspondence, and public statements. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Over the course of my graduate school experience, I received assistance from many who shared unselfishly their time and expertise. First and foremost, I would like to thank my committee, Terry H. Anderson, David Vaught, Adam R. Seipp, and Stephen Caffey, for taking on a project that stretches beyond their usual spheres. In addition, I am grateful for the Department of History’s collegial atmosphere, which allowed for insightful commentary and support from many professors, including Angela Pulley Hudson, Rebecca Hartkopf Schloss, Cynthia Bouton, Harold Livesay, April Hatfield, Jason Parker, Philip Smith, R. J. Q. Adams, and Kate Carté Engel. I also appreciate the efforts of Adam Seipp in his capacity as Director of Graduate Studies within the Department; your advocacy for graduate students has not gone unnoticed. No acknowledgement of the Department’s support is complete without mentioning the services offered by its administrative assistants; thank you to Mary, Rita, Barbara, and Kelly for keeping us all on task and in line. My friends and fellow graduate students in the Department of History have made this a wonderful place to study, converse, and unwind. To Verity McInnis, Bill Collopy, Ben Duerksen, Bradley Cesario, Jared Donnelly, Mike Fasulo, Matthew Yokell, Marshall Yokell, and Chris Gilson, I say thank you for your friendship; I have enjoyed our quirky conversations on every topic under the sun. To Jessica Ray Herzogenrath, words fail to describe how much you have contributed to my development as a scholar and how much your friendship has brightened my life; you have been my cheerleader, sounding board, and partner-in-crime, for this and much more, I thank you heartily. iv I would also like to thank the staff at the numerous institutions that assisted in the research phase of this project, including Special Collections and University Archives at the University of Oregon, DeGolyer Library at Southern Methodist University, the Smithsonian Archives of American Art, the Library of Congress (Main Reading Room and Manuscript Division), the National Archives and Records Administration in College Park, Maryland, the library and archives of the American Museum of Natural History in New York City, and the Special Collections Research Center at Syracuse University. Additionally, I wish to thank Ms. Jarron Jewell and Dr. Conrad Schoeffling in Special Collections at B. Davis Schwartz Memorial Library on the C.W. Post campus of Long Island University for their hospitality. My research has been generously funded by the Department of History and the Melbern G. Glasscock Center, and through the Fasken Graduate Student Teaching Award made possible by Professor Chester Dunning, the Murray and Celeste Fasken Chair in Distinguished Teaching in the College of Liberal Arts at Texas A&M University. The Alva J. Field Memorial Trust scholarship provided much needed financial assistance in the final writing phase of this project. Last, but certainly not least, I would like to thank my parents, Donald and Peggy Heth, for their love and support throughout my graduate career; I would not have been able to do this without you. To Jeff Corbin, who entered my life during the last frantic, stressful year of this process, I thank you for your encouragement and support, which never wavered, despite proof that there is crying in grad school. It may not have been “just a walk in the park, Kazansky,” but your humor, love, and companionship kept me balanced when I needed it most. I’m looking forward to our next adventure. v TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ABSTRACT .......................................................................................................... ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ................................................................................... iv TABLE OF CONTENTS ....................................................................................... vi LIST OF FIGURES ............................................................................................... vii CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION ....................................................................... 1 CHAPTER II REMEMBERING TR: THE ROOSEVELT MEMORIAL ASSOCIATION AND THE FAILED MONUMENTAL MEMORIAL .................. 47 CHAPTER III COMMEMORATING THE WEST: EQUESTRIAN STATUES IN PORTLAND AND MINOT .............................................................................. 95 CHAPTER IV COMMEMORATING DEMOCRACY: GUTZON BORGLUM, MOUNT RUSHMORE, AND THE APOTHEOSIS OF THEODORE ROOSEVELT………………………………………………………………………. 138 CHAPTER V COMMEMORATING IMPERIALISM: TR AND THE AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY ............................................. 182 CHAPTER VI COMMEMORATING CONSERVATION: THEODORE ROOSEVELT ISLAND AND THE SANCTUARY OF THE FREE SPIRIT.......... 237 CHAPTER VII CONCLUSIONS ......................................................................... 292 REFERENCES ...................................................................................................... 297 APPENDIX ....................................................................................................... 312 vi LIST OF FIGURES FIGURE Page 1 A. Phimister Proctor, Rough Rider (replica, 1924) ................................... 313 2 Henry Kirke Brown, George Washington (1856) ..................................... 314 3 Clark Mills, Andrew Jackson (replica, 1856) ........................................... 315 4 Henry Merwin Shrady, General Grant (1922) ......................................... 316 5 Portland Rough Rider (1922) and plinth................................................... 317 6 Minot Rough Rider and base.................................................................... 318 7 John Russell Pope, New York State Theodore Roosevelt Memorial (1936) 319 8 James Earle Fraser, Roosevelt Equestrian Group (1940)………………… 320 9 Fraser’s Roosevelt………………………………………………………… 321 10 Fraser’s Roosevelt imitates Verrocchio’s Colleoni………………………. 322 11 Proper right side, Native American, Fraser’s Equestrian Group ………… 323 12 Native American, Roosevelt Equestrian Group…………………………... 324 13 Proper left side, African, Fraser’s Equestrian Group ……………………... 325 14 African’s face, Roosevelt Equestrian Group ……………………………… 326 15 Paul Manship, Prometheus Fountain (1933)………………………………. 327 16 Paul Manship, Theodore Roosevelt (1967)………………………………… 328 17 Eric Gugler and Paul Manship, Theodore Roosevelt Memorial (1967)…… 329 18 Manhood, Theodore Roosevelt Memorial…………………………………. 330 19