Controversial Theodore Roosevelt statue heading to Medora

MEDORA, N.D. (KVRR) – A controversial statue of President Theodore Roosevelt in New York City is moving to the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library in Medora.

The library foundation says the statue will be on “long-term loan.”  It has stood on the steps of the American Museum of Natural History in New York City since 1940.

The statue depicts Roosevelt on horseback, with a Native American man on one side and a Black man on the other.  In June, 2020, the museum requested that the statue be removed.  “The statue itself communicates a racial hierarchy that the Museum and members of the public have long found disturbing,” the museum wrote.

“The Equestrian Statue is problematic in its hierarchical depiction of its subjects and should be removed from New York State’s official memorial to Theodore Roosevelt,” Theodore Roosevelt V said. “Rather than burying a troubling work of art, we ought to learn from it.”

The removal of the statue will be conducted by the American Museum of Natural History in coordination with the City of New York. The relocation is subject to final approval by the City’s Public Design Commission.

The library is scheduled to open in 2026, the 250th anniversary of the United States.