James Buchanan Memorial: Difference between revisions
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===Memorial=== |
===Memorial=== |
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[[Harriet Lane]] was the niece of Buchanan, and since Buchanan was a bachelor, acted as [[First Lady of the United States]] during his presidency. In her will, Lane bequeathed $100,000 for the federal government to erect a memorial of her uncle. There was a stipulation that it had to be accepted by Congress within 15 years of her death, or the money would return to her estate.<ref name=arcadia>{{cite book | url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/Meridian_Hill_Park/EExODgAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=James+Buchanan+%22meridian+hill%22&pg=PA47&printsec=frontcover | title=Meridian Hill Park | publisher=Arcadia Publishing | author=Clem, Fiona J. | year=2017 | pages=44-47 | isbn=9781467125307}}</ref> In January 1916, Senator [[Blair Lee I]] introduced a joint resolution to erect a memorial to Buchanan.<ref name=resolution>{{cite news | url=https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83045462/1916-01-31/ed-1/seq-2/#date1=1770&index=13&rows=20&words=Buchanan+Hill+Meridian&searchType=basic&sequence=0&state=&date2=1963&proxtext=Buchanan+%22meridian+hill%22&y=0&x=0&dateFilterType=yearRange&page=1 | title=District in Congress | work=The Evening Star | date=January 31, 1916 | accessdate=January 27, 2024 | pages=2}}</ref> |
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===Later history=== |
===Later history=== |
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==Location and design== |
==Location and design== |
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[[File:BuchananmonmtDC.JPG|thumb|500px|alt=James Buchanan Memorial|James Buchanan Memorial in 2009]] |
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The memorial is located on the southeast corner of Meridian Hill Park, near the park's reflecting pool, in an area where [[Columbia Heights (Washington, D.C.)|Columbia Heights]], [[Adams Morgan]], and the [[U Street Corridor]] intersect.<ref name=weta>{{cite web | url=https://boundarystones.weta.org/2020/03/30/buchanan-statue-debate-memorial-fifteen-years-making | title=The Buchanan Statue Debate: A Memorial Fifteen Years in the Making | publisher=WETA | date=March 30, 2020 | accessdate=January 27, 2024 | author=Lee, Karis}}</ref> The statue of Buchannan is bronze, but has faded to green due to [[patina]]. The closest street intersection is 15th and W Streets NW and the memorial is on the righthand side when entering the park from the south.<ref name=arcadia |
The memorial is located on the southeast corner of Meridian Hill Park, near the park's reflecting pool, in an area where [[Columbia Heights (Washington, D.C.)|Columbia Heights]], [[Adams Morgan]], and the [[U Street Corridor]] intersect.<ref name=weta>{{cite web | url=https://boundarystones.weta.org/2020/03/30/buchanan-statue-debate-memorial-fifteen-years-making | title=The Buchanan Statue Debate: A Memorial Fifteen Years in the Making | publisher=WETA | date=March 30, 2020 | accessdate=January 27, 2024 | author=Lee, Karis}}</ref> The statue of Buchannan is bronze, but has faded to green due to [[patina]]. The closest street intersection is 15th and W Streets NW and the memorial is on the righthand side when entering the park from the south.<ref name=arcadia/> The statue on each end of the memorial are granite, and the base is Milfor pink marble.<ref name=saam>{{cite web | url=https://siris-artinventories.si.edu/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=131UWE5377324.63455&profile=ariall&source=~!siartinventories&view=subscriptionsummary&uri=full=3100001~!323781~!8&ri=4&aspect=Keyword&menu=search&ipp=20&spp=20&staffonly=&term=james+buchanan&index=.TW&uindex=&aspect=Keyword&menu=search&ri=4&limitbox_1=LO01+=+ias#focus | title=Buchanan, (sculpture) | publisher=Smithsonian Institution Archives of American Art | accessdate=January 27, 2024}}</ref> |
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Buchanan's statue is 6-feet 2-inches (1.9 m) tall and the width is 6-feet 7-inches (2 m) wide. He is depicted sitting in a chair and wearing a suit. Draped across his lap is a robe. His left hand is holding papers which Buchanan is reading. The marble base is 5.8-feet (1.8 m) tall and 5.75-feet (1.8 m) wide. Extending on each side of Buchanan's statue is a stone [[exedra]]. At each end of the exedra is a concrete sculpture, one representing Law and the other Democracy. The male statue of Law is shirtless and his legs are crossed. A piece of fabric is draped over his lap.<ref name=saam/> He is holding a [[fasces]] with his left hand. The female statue of Democracy is topless and also has fabric draped over her lower half, part of which hangs from her right arm.<ref name=saam/> |
Buchanan's statue is 6-feet 2-inches (1.9 m) tall and the width is 6-feet 7-inches (2 m) wide. He is depicted sitting in a chair and wearing a suit. Draped across his lap is a robe. His left hand is holding papers which Buchanan is reading. The marble base is 5.8-feet (1.8 m) tall and 5.75-feet (1.8 m) wide. Extending on each side of Buchanan's statue is a stone [[exedra]]. At each end of the exedra is a concrete sculpture, one representing Law and the other Democracy. The male statue of Law is shirtless and his legs are crossed. A piece of fabric is draped over his lap.<ref name=saam/> He is holding a [[fasces]] with his left hand. The female statue of Democracy is topless and also has fabric draped over her lower half, part of which hangs from her right arm.<ref name=saam/> |
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Revision as of 00:08, 28 January 2024
James Buchanan Memorial | |
 James Buchanan Memorial in 2012 | |
| Location | Meridian Hill Park, Washington, D.C. |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 38°55′11″N 77°02′06″W / 38.91968°N 77.03497°W |
| Built | 1930 |
| Architect | Hans Schuler (sculptor) William Gordon Beecher (architect) Roman Bronze Works (foundry) |
| Part of | Meridian Hill Park Historic District |
| NRHP reference No. | 74000273 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | October 25, 1974 |
| Designated DCIHS | November 8, 1964 |
The James Buchanan Memorial is a bronze and granite memorial in the southeast corner of Meridian Hill Park Northwest, Washington, D.C. It was designed by architect William Gorden Beecher, and sculpted by Maryland artist Hans Schuler. Commissioned in 1916, but not approved by the U.S. Congress until 1918, it was completed and unveiled June 26, 1930. The memorial features a statue of Buchanan bookended by male and female classical figures representing law and diplomacy, engraved with text from a member of Buchanan's cabinet, Jeremiah S. Black:"The incorruptible statesman whose walk was upon the mountain ranges of the law." The memorial in the nation's capital complemented an earlier monument, constructed in 1907–08 and dedicated in 1911, on the site of Buchanan's birthplace in Mercersburg, Pennsylvania.
History
Biography
James Buchanan was born on April 23, 1791, in Cove Gap, Pennsylvania. He attended Dickinson College and graduated in 1809. Buchanan showed a keen interest in law and was admitted to the bar in 1812. During the War of 1812, Buchanan was one of the early volunteers to fight the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. Following the war, Buchanan was elected to the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, where he served for two years. Five year later in 1821, he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, where he served for ten years. After his tenure in the House, Buchanan served as U.S. Minister to Russia from 1832-1833.[1]
Buchanan was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1834 and served until 1845 when he was chosen to be U.S. Secretary of State. He served in that role until 1849 and was chosen to be Minister to the United Kingdom. Buchanan was elected to be President of the United States in 1857. He only served one term and his presidency is considered one of the worst in U.S. history.[2]
Historian Edward L. Widmer described Buchanan's presidency as the following: "Repeatedly, he made terrible decisions, and when presented with various options, pursued the most extreme pro-slavery position (despite the fact that he came from Pennsylvania). He chose a Cabinet dominated by corrupt slave owners who lined their own pockets and stole government assets. When crises came, he had no answers, because he didn’t think the federal government should intervene. As more people questioned his choices, he angrily dismissed their criticism." The biggest failure of his presidency is often cited to be his inability to avert the Civil War.[2]
Memorial
Harriet Lane was the niece of Buchanan, and since Buchanan was a bachelor, acted as First Lady of the United States during his presidency. In her will, Lane bequeathed $100,000 for the federal government to erect a memorial of her uncle. There was a stipulation that it had to be accepted by Congress within 15 years of her death, or the money would return to her estate.[3] In January 1916, Senator Blair Lee I introduced a joint resolution to erect a memorial to Buchanan.[4]
Later history
The Buchanan memorial is the largest monument in Meridian Hill Park and the city's only memorial to the former president. The memorial is one of several works in the park. The others are Serenity by Josep Clarà, Dante Alighieri by Ettore Ximenes, and an equestrian statue of Joan of Arc by Paul Dubois, the only equestrian statue of a woman in Washington, D.C.[5]
The memorial is a contributing property to the Meridian Hill Park Historic District, a National Historic Landmark. The historic district was listed on the District of Columbia Inventory of Historic Sites on November 8, 1964, and the National Register of Historic Places on October 25, 1974.[6]
Location and design
The memorial is located on the southeast corner of Meridian Hill Park, near the park's reflecting pool, in an area where Columbia Heights, Adams Morgan, and the U Street Corridor intersect.[7] The statue of Buchannan is bronze, but has faded to green due to patina. The closest street intersection is 15th and W Streets NW and the memorial is on the righthand side when entering the park from the south.[3] The statue on each end of the memorial are granite, and the base is Milfor pink marble.[8]
Buchanan's statue is 6-feet 2-inches (1.9 m) tall and the width is 6-feet 7-inches (2 m) wide. He is depicted sitting in a chair and wearing a suit. Draped across his lap is a robe. His left hand is holding papers which Buchanan is reading. The marble base is 5.8-feet (1.8 m) tall and 5.75-feet (1.8 m) wide. Extending on each side of Buchanan's statue is a stone exedra. At each end of the exedra is a concrete sculpture, one representing Law and the other Democracy. The male statue of Law is shirtless and his legs are crossed. A piece of fabric is draped over his lap.[8] He is holding a fasces with his left hand. The female statue of Democracy is topless and also has fabric draped over her lower half, part of which hangs from her right arm.[8]
The inscription on the memorial include the following:[8]
(above the statue)
BVCHANAN
{left wall)
JAMES BUCHANAN OF PENNSYLVANIA
PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES
MDCCCLVII-MDCCClXI
(right wall)
THE INCORRUPTIBLE STATESMAN WHOSE
WALK WAS UPON THE MOUNTAIN RANGES OF
THE LAW
(corner of statue)
Hans Schuler 1929
See also
- List of sculptures of presidents of the United States
- Outdoor sculpture in Washington, D.C.
- Presidential memorials in the United States
References
- ^ Millen, William A. (July 13, 1930). "Monument to America's First Bachelor President". The Evening Star. p. 10. Retrieved January 27, 2024.
- ^ a b Widmer, Ted (May 26, 2020). "We've forgotten the worst president in American history". The Washington Post. Retrieved January 27, 2024.
- ^ a b Clem, Fiona J. (2017). Meridian Hill Park. Arcadia Publishing. pp. 44–47. ISBN 9781467125307.
- ^ "District in Congress". The Evening Star. January 31, 1916. p. 2. Retrieved January 27, 2024.
- ^ Carr, Ethan (October 13, 1993). "National Historic Landmark Nomination - Meridian Hill Park". National Park Service. Retrieved January 27, 2024.
- ^ "District of Columbia Inventory of Historic Sites" (PDF). District of Columbia Office of Planning - Historic Preservation Office. September 30, 2009. Retrieved January 27, 2024.
- ^ Lee, Karis (March 30, 2020). "The Buchanan Statue Debate: A Memorial Fifteen Years in the Making". WETA. Retrieved January 27, 2024.
- ^ a b c d "Buchanan, (sculpture)". Smithsonian Institution Archives of American Art. Retrieved January 27, 2024.
External links
- James Buchanan Memorial, history of the memorial by C-SPAN
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| Life | |
| Presidency |
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| Public image | |
| Family |
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- Historic district contributing properties
- 1930 sculptures
- Cultural depictions of James Buchanan
- Historic district contributing properties in Washington, D.C.
- Meridian Hill/Malcolm X Park
- Monuments and memorials in Washington, D.C.
- Sculptures of men in Washington, D.C.
- Statues in Washington, D.C.
- Statues of presidents of the United States