The Adams Memorial is a proposed

United States presidential memorial The presidential memorials in the United States honor the various presidents of the United States and seek to perpetuate their legacies. Living and physical elements A presidential memorial may have a physical element which consists of a monume ...

on the

National Mall The National Mall is a Landscape architecture, landscaped park near the Downtown, Washington, D.C., downtown area of Washington, D.C., the capital city of the United States. It contains and borders a number of museums of the Smithsonian Institut ...

to honor Founding Father and second President John Adams and his legacy. The U.S. Congress has created the Adams Memorial Commission to oversee the planning and construction of the Memorial. Commissioner

Jackie Gingrich Cushman Newton Leroy Gingrich (; né McPherson; born June 17, 1943) is an American politician and author who served as the List of speakers of the United States House of Representatives, 50th speaker of the United States House of Representatives from ...

serves as the Chairman of the Adams Memorial Commission.

History

On November 5, 2001, the United States Congress enacted a bill for the establishment of a "commemorative work...to honor former President John Adams and his legacy." The Memorial is to honor both John Adams and the other members of the Adams Family renowned for public service: his wife and prolific writer Abigail Adams; their son, the sixth U.S. President John Quincy Adams; his wife

Louisa Catherine Adams Louisa Catherine Adams ( ''née'' Johnson; February 12, 1775 – May 15, 1852) was the First Lady of the United States from 1825 to 1829 during the presidency of John Quincy Adams. Early life Adams was born on February 12, 1775, in the City ...

; their son, American Civil War diplomat, politician, and editor Charles Francis Adams, Sr.; and Charles' two sons, noted historian and autobiographer

Henry Adams Henry Brooks Adams (February 16, 1838 – March 27, 1918) was an American historian and a member of the Adams political family, descended from two U.S. Presidents. As a young Harvard graduate, he served as secretary to his father, Charles Fra ...

and academician Brooks Adams. Congress authorized the Adams Memorial Foundation to be the sponsor responsible for the planning and construction of the Memorial. The Foundation was given permission to raise private funds to construct the Adams Memorial on federal land in Washington, D.C. Once established, the Memorial was to be turned over to the federal government. On December 2, 2002, Congress amended this legislation to permit the Adams Memorial to be constructed within Area 1, the central core of the District of Columbia centered on the

. The

Commemorative Works Clarification and Revision Act The Commemorative Works Act of 1986 (; ) (CWA) is a United States federal law which bars the construction of commemorative works near the National Mall and on federal land in the National Capital Area unless they are approved by the National Ca ...

of 2003 (CWCRA) gave the Adams Memorial Foundation seven years to raise funds and begin construction. With construction not yet begun, Congress passed legislation on October 30, 2009, extending the deadline to September 30, 2010. On May 24, 2010, Congress again extended the deadline to December 2, 2013. Authorization for the Adams Memorial expired on December 2, 2013 without construction having begun. At a 2014 Senate hearing before the Subcommittee on National Parks, the Adams Memorial Foundation was praised for having worked diligently on the Memorial. Congress again reauthorized the Memorial on Dec. 19, 2014, extending the deadline to December 2, 2020. With construction still not begun, in March of 2019 Congress established the Adams Memorial Commission to oversee the planning and construction of the Memorial.PL 116-9, https://www.congress.gov/116/plaws/publ9/PLAW-116publ9.pdf.

The Adams Memorial Commission

The Adams Memorial Commission is a Congressional Commission which consists of 4 members of the House of Representatives, 4 Senators, and 4 civilians appointed by the President of the United States. The Memorial Commission is responsible for site selection, design, permitting, and construction of the Memorial. In the fall of 2020, President Trump made two of four presidential appointments,

Timothy Harleth The White House chief usher is the head of household staff and operations at the White House, the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States of America. The position is currently held by Robert B. Downing, wh ...

and

, daughter of former U.S. House Speaker

Newt Gingrich Newton Leroy Gingrich (; né McPherson; born June 17, 1943) is an American politician and author who served as the 50th speaker of the United States House of Representatives from 1995 to 1999. A member of the Republican Party, he was the U ...

. In March of 2023, President Biden made the remaining two presidential appointments, Major General Peter Cooke and Richard Houghton. In December of 2023, Speaker Mike Johnson appointed four members of the House of Representatives to serve on the Commission: Rep. Morgan Griffith of Virginia, Rep. John Moolenar of Michigan, Rep. Stephen Lynch of Massachusetts, and Rep. Gerry Conolly of Virginia. The four Senatorial members of the Commission are yet to be appointed. Since the appointment of a majority of its members, the Commission has met several times. At its first meeting, Commissioner Cushman was made Chairman, and Commissioner Cooke was made Vice Chairman. The Commission has since re-created the Adams Memorial Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation established to raise private funds and awareness for the Memorial. Commissioner Cushman serves as President of the Adams Memorial Foundation.Adams Memorial Foundation Website, https://theadamsmemorial.org/news/adams-memorial-commission-appointed-foundation-created/. Pursuant to its authorizing statute, the Commission is to produce an end-of-year report before the close of 2024.

References

External links

* : Public Law 107-62, establishing the Foundation * : Public Law 116-9, reconstituting commission with 2025 expiration date in Section 2406. {{authority control Adams family Proposed monuments and memorials in the United States John Adams John Quincy Adams

History

The Adams Memorial Commission

See also

References

External links