Home | Roosevelt, Theodore
- CountryUS
- Town:OR Portland
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Year of creation:1922
- Rider(s):Roosevelt, Theodore
(1858–1919) was the twenty-sixth president of the United States (1901–1909), noted for his exuberant personality, range of interests and achievements, and his leadership of the Progressive Movement, as well as his ‘cowboy‘ persona and robust masculinity.
Roosevelt’s achievements as a naturalist, explorer, hunter, author and soldier are as much a part of his fame as any office he held as a politician. Roosevelt was 42 years old when sworn in as President of the United States in 1901, making him the youngest president ever, younger even than John F. Kennedy.
- Sculptor(s):Proctor, Alexander Phimister
(1860 –1950) was an American sculptor with the contemporary reputation as one of the nation’s foremost animaliers. Proctor moved from the US to Paris to continue his studies. During this period, he assisted Augustus Saint Gaudens in the creating of the General Logan Monument, now in Chicago. Proctor perhaps is known best for the horse underneath William Tecumseh Sherman in Grand Army.
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The equestrian statue was completed in 1922 and depicts Theodore Roosevelt as the leader of the cavalry regiment that fought during the Spanish–American War, called the Rough Riders.
According to the Regional Arts & Culture Council, which administers the work, “Proctor took great care in accurately depicting Roosevelt as a symbol of American determination, success, and strength and as a bridge back to the Wild West.”
The statue was toppled by rioters during the Indigenous Peoples Day of Rage in October 2020, along with the nearby statue of Abraham Lincoln, in what Portland police declared a riot.
Photos by Steve Morgan and Daderot
