Sagamore Hill National Historic Site
Legislative History - For Future Generations
Sagamore Hill National
Historic Site
Legislative History - For Future
Generations
| The
President and Congress each have authority to establish
national parks, monuments and historic sites. During his
term as president, Theodore Roosevelt and Congress
established nearly 230 million acres or 3 million square
miles of national parks, monuments, national forests and
wildlife refuges. Shortly after Roosevelt's death in 1919, a group of associates and admirers established the Roosevelt Memorial Association. The organization sought to accquire Sagamore Hill and transform it into a memorial for Roosevelt. His wife, Edith declined their offer and would continue to live at Sagamore Hill until her death in 1948. The Roosevelt Memorial Association, now the Theodore Roosevelt Assocation purchased Sagamore Hill from the Roosevelt estate in 1950 and opened as a museum to the public in 1953. In the early 1950's, Theodore Roosevelt's home at Sagamore Hill was considered not to be historic or nationally significant. By the early 1960's, that view had changed. In the Spring of 1961, Congressmen J.T Rutherford of Texas (House Resolution 8484), Wayne Aspinall of Colorado (H.R. 8485), John Saylor of Pennsylvania (H.R. 8486), John Chenoweth of Colorado (H.R. 8487), John Lindsay of New York (House Joint Resolution 539) and Senators Jacob Javits and Ken Keating (Senate Joint Resolution 124) of New York introduced almost identical bills to establish Theodore Roosevelt's Sagamore Hill home and Manhattan birthplace as national historic sites. |
|
| House Report | When completed, this link will provide text of the House Interior and Insular Affairs Committee report on the establishment of Sagamore Hill and the Roosevelt birthplace as national historic sites. |
| House
Debate April 2, 1962 |
On being favorably reported out of Interior and Insular Affairs Committee with minor amendments, the House of Representatives debated the bill. Facing no opposition, but only speeches supporting the legislation, the House of Representatives passed the bill unanimously by voice vote and sent it to the Senate. This link is an excerpt from the Congressional Record. |
| Senate
Report July 13, 1962 |
This is the text of the Senate Interior and Insular Affairs Committee report on the establishment of Sagamore Hill and the Roosevelt birthplace as national historic sites. Its language largely reflects that used in the House Interior and Insular Affairs Committee report. |
| Senate
Debate July 18, 1962 |
On being favorably reported out of Senate's Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs, the bill was received in the same manner as it was in the House. After short speeches, the Senate passed the bill unanimously by voice vote and sent it to President John F. Kennedy. |
| Public Law 87-547 July 25, 1962 |
Sometime during the afternoon of July 25, 1962 President John F. Kennedy signed House Resolution 8484 into law, authorizing the establishment Sagamore Hill and Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace National Historic Sites as units of the National Park Service. |
| Federal Register July 1963 |
Public Law 87-547 authorized the Secretary
of Interior to establish the Sagamore Hill and the
Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace National Historic Sites
upon the transfer of an endowment fund and title to the
properties from the Theodore Roosevelt Association to the
United States. When completed, this will contain the text of the public notice announcing the transfer and subsequent establishment of the sites as new units of the National Park System. |
| Press Releases | When completed, this link will have the text of press releases issued by the US Department of the Interior and National Park Service about the establishment of the Sagamore Hill National Historic Site. |
| White House
Files from the John F. Kennedy Library August 1963 |
When completed, this link will have text of
selected correspondence from Secretary of the Interior
Stewart Udall to President Kennedy's White House staff
about Sagamore Hill legislation and an invitation to
speak at the dedication of the site. In a memo, Secretary Udall encouraged Kennedy to attend and advance the administration's conservation policy, but the invitation had to be declined due to the demands of the president's schedule. |
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Last Updated:Wednesday, 22-Dec-2004 10:05:05 Eastern Standard Time
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Editor: Michael Shaver