08.14.24

Hoeven Marks Milestone in Development of Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library

Senator Sponsored & Passed Legislation to Enable Land Sale for Library Site & Loan Artifacts from Smithsonian

MEDORA, N.D. – Senator John Hoeven today marked a major milestone in the development of the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library with the beaming signing ceremony. As a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Hoeven has worked to advance the establishment of the presidential library, having:

  • Sponsored and successfully passed legislation enabling the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library Foundation to purchase U.S. Forest Service land in Billings County to construct a library and museum honoring the life and legacy of President Teddy Roosevelt. 
    • Hoeven worked with local and state officials and the Medora Grazing Association to negotiate the legislation and find an agreement for the land purchase.
  • Secured legislation in the Interior appropriations bill to support loans of historic artifacts currently held by the Smithsonian for display at the library.
  • Introduced legislation to support the preservation and display of materials at the library related to President Roosevelt’s life. Hoeven’s bipartisan, bicameral bill, which is cosponsored in the Senate by Senators Cramer, Blumenthal and Heinrich, and sponsored in the House by Congressman Armstrong would:
    • Authorize the Department of the Interior to provide grants to establish the presidential library and support the display of materials.
    • Require the foundation to utilize state or other non-Federal funds to provide a 2:1 match for each federal grant awarded.
    • Prohibit the use of federal grants for maintenance or operations of the interpretive center.

“The establishment of this library is an historic project for our state, honoring the life and legacy of Teddy Roosevelt and North Dakota’s impact on his presidency. That’s why we’ve worked to pave the way for this effort, having secured the sale of U.S. Forest Service land next to our national park, which also bears President Roosevelt’s name. We appreciate the support of Senator Cramer, Congressman Armstrong and Governor Burgum in advancing this agreement. At the same time, we are advancing legislation, both a stand-alone bill and a measure I’ve already passed through annual appropriations, to support the materials that will be on display at the library, as well as ongoing preservation work. Today’s milestone is a welcome step in the library’s construction, and we look forward to seeing this tremendous project come to completion,” said Hoeven.

Advancing the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library

Hoeven has been working for more than six years to build support for the development of the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library. The senator previously secured commitments from leadership at the National Park Service and National Park Foundation to help advance this effort. In 2019, Hoeven also hosted then-Interior Secretary David Bernhardt in North Dakota to outline the plans for the library’s construction. The facility will include more than 50,000 digitized documents and other archives from the Theodore Roosevelt Center at Dickinson State University (DSU). Construction is expected to be completed by summer 2026.

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