Theodore Roosevelt, Rough Rider is an equestrian statue designed by American sculptor Alexander Phimister Proctor (1860–1950). The bronze sculpture depicts Theodore Roosevelt, former President of the United States, as the leader of the cavalry regiment called the Rough Riders, who fought during the Spanish–American War.[1] 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."[1] The statue is located in Portland's South Park Blocks, along Southwest Park Avenue between Southwest Jefferson and Madison Streets. It measures 12 feet (3.7 m) × 3 feet (0.91 m) × 9 feet (2.7 m) and is mounted to a base that measures 7 feet 8 inches (2.34 m) long × 6 feet (1.8 m) high × 1 foot 6 inches (0.46 m) wide.[1]
History
The memorial was commissioned after Roosevelt's death. Completed in 1922, the sculpture was cast in Brooklyn, New York, and was shipped by sea via the Panama Canal to avoid cutting the work into pieces. Henry Waldo Coe, a friend and hunting partner of Roosevelt's, donated the statue to the City of Portland. Calvin Coolidge, then Vice President of the United States, was present at the statue's dedication.[1]
The creation of the statue was documented by the Metropolitan Museum of Art in its 1922 film, The Making of a Bronze Statue. This film was the first time that the entire process of creating a bronze statue by the lost-wax method of casting was photographed. The Metropolitan Museum of Art made this film available on Youtube in January 2023. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rPJZwlnw-rc
On July 28, 2021, Stan Pulliam, the mayor of Sandy, Oregon, proposed to have the Roosevelt statue and two other Portland statues, one of Lincoln and one of Washington, reinstalled in Sandy, Oregon.[4] He said: "When we heard last week that the city of Portland is considering not putting the statues back up we decided we're tired of the embarrassment". A decision on the future of the statues has not been made.[5]
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