Gutzom Borglum chose Mount Rushmore in South Dakota for a national memorial featuring the faces of four US presidents: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, and Theodore Roosevelt. Borglum selected each president for their contributions to American history and their leadership qualities. The project was completed in 1941, and there have been no serious efforts to add more presidents to the site.
When sculptor Gutzom Borglum completed his work on Stone Mountain in Georgia, he resumed his campaign to create a national memorial on a much grander scale. Borglum eventually settled on Mount Rushmore, a massive granite outcrop in the Black Hills region of South Dakota. Mount Rushmore was an ideal site because of its soft granite composition, commanding height, and southeast exposure, which allowed it to be in sunlight for much of the day. Borglum chose four presidents as subjects: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt.
George Washington’s choice for the monument worked for a number of reasons. Washington represented the spirit of American independence, as he commanded the first army against the occupation of British forces in colonial America. Washington was also instrumental in forming the country’s federal system of government, serving as its first president. The face of President Washington was first completed by Borglum and his crew on Mount Rushmore in 1930.
Thomas Jefferson was the second president selected for the Mount Rushmore monument. Jefferson’s successes during the Revolutionary War, especially the drafting of the Declaration of Independence, inspired others to pursue a political career. Jefferson himself served as Governor of Virginia and as Secretary of State under President Washington himself. As the country’s third president, Jefferson continued to work to expand both the physical and philosophical borders of the United States. Borglum chose President Thomas Jefferson for the monument due to his ability as a statesman and vision.
The third president introduced was Abraham Lincoln, credited with preserving the integrity of the United States during the turbulent times of the Civil War. While Borglum selected younger images of Washington and Jefferson for his work, he chose the familiar bearded face of an older Lincoln as representative of the president’s unwavering determination. An interesting fact about Borglum is that he named his son Lincoln after the late president he admired so much.
The fourth president depicted on Mount Rushmore was perhaps Borglum’s most controversial choice. President Theodore Roosevelt had only been dead for 8 years when Borglum finished his list of subjects. Theodore Roosevelt was one of the youngest presidents in the nation and his youth and vitality served him well. President Roosevelt helped develop the national park system and also brought the country away from isolationism and into the world arena. President Roosevelt’s image also includes his signature pince-nez glasses.
As it turned out, Gutzom Borglum had already developed a close friendship with Theodore Roosevelt before taking office in 1901. Borglum admired Roosevelt’s assertive personality and tireless enthusiasm, qualities which Borglum also used to his advantage as he lobbied Congress for funding of his Mount Rushmore project. When Borglum died in 1941, future plans for Mount Rushmore seemed to die with him. Although discussions about adding more presidents to the site surface periodically, to date there have been no serious efforts to commission new sculptures.
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