WASHINGTON, DC — With trust in government at an all-time low, The Ripon Society and Franklin Center for Global Policy Exchange honored four leaders in Congress — two Republicans and two Democrats — for their efforts to rebuild that trust and make government work better on behalf of the American people.

The leaders were U.S. Representatives Kelly Armstrong (R/ND-AL), Joyce Beatty (D/OH-3), Raja Krishnamoorthi (D/IL-8), and Adrian Smith (R/NE-3). The four were presented with the 2023 Roosevelt Leadership Award, an honor that is given annually in the spirit of America’s 26th President and is intended to recognize leaders who embody some of the same qualities and characteristics that Theodore Roosevelt displayed throughout his life and career.

This year’s awards dinner was held this past Saturday evening in the town of Keystone, South Dakota, and was followed by a visit to the lighting ceremony at Mount Rushmore, less than four miles away.

“It is fitting that we are meeting here this year,” stated Jim Conzelman, the President & CEO of The Ripon Society and Franklin Center in remarks to kick-off the event.  “You see, 100 years ago — in 1923 — the Secretary of the South Dakota State Historical Society gave a speech in which he first proposed the construction of ‘a colossal monument ... carved in the granite of the Black Hills.’

“Work began on the monument four years later, in October 1927.  And over the next 14 years — with construction interrupted because of the Great Depression — the towering figures in granite began to take shape.  Washington was dedicated first, in 1930.  Jefferson was dedicated next, in 1936.  Lincoln was dedicated one year later, in 1937.  And TR — Theodore Roosevelt — was dedicated in 1939.  The final drilling took place two years later.  And on October 31, 1941, the monument to four of America’s greatest leaders was complete.

“As President Bush said when he marked the 50th anniversary of Mount Rushmore’s completion at a ceremony here in 1991: ‘Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, and Roosevelt all surmounted old barriers and opened up new frontiers. They broadened our nation and they strengthened its foundations. They chiseled into our national soul a yearning for freedom, democracy, equality, and justice, a conviction that all people have the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.’

“Clearly, a lot has changed in our Nation over the years.  But one thing that hasn’t changed is the importance of bold, honest leadership, and the need for great men – and great women – in government.  It is in that spirit of leadership and service that we meet here tonight at Mount Rushmore.  And it is in that spirit that we present the 2023 Roosevelt Leadership Awards.”

“A lot has changed in our Nation over the years.  But one thing that hasn’t changed is the importance of bold, honest leadership, and the need for great men – and great women – in government.”

According to Conzelman, the award was established with one premise in mind – namely, that there is a lot of good, thoughtful work being done on Capitol Hill and in Washington that people do not regularly hear about. To that end, the Roosevelt Leadership Award honors those leaders:

-Who have a sense of duty and service driven by a love of country.

-Who possess a desire to do what is in the best interests of the American people – regardless of party, and regardless of who gets the credit; and,

-Who embody the qualities that Theodore Roosevelt spoke of when he said: “The credit belongs to those who are actually in the arena, who strive valiantly; who know the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, and spend themselves in a worthy cause; who at best know the triumph of high achievement; and who, at worst, if they fail, fail while daring greatly, so that their place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.”

“The four leaders we honor tonight embody these qualities and more,” Conzelman remarked.  “Between them, they have over 60 years of service at every level of government. Individually, they have made their mark in many important ways. On behalf of the membership of The Ripon Society and Franklin Center, it is an honor to recognize them for their leadership, their service, and their commitment to bold thinking and new ideas over the course of their careers.”

Conzelman noted that this is the eighth year the Roosevelt Leadership Awards have been presented.  Last year’s awards dinner was held in Austin and featured visits to the Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and Museum and the George H.W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum in College Station.  In 2021, the dinner was held in Charlottesville and included visits to Thomas Jefferson’s home at Monticello, and the home where James and Dolly Madison lived at Montpelier.  The 2019 awards celebration was held at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum in Boston, while the 2018 awards were presented at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum in Yorba Linda.

The 2017 celebration was held in New York and included visits to Theodore Roosevelt’s historic home at Sagamore Hill and Franklin Roosevelt’s estate and museum in Hyde Park. In 2016, the awards celebration was held at the George W. Bush Presidential Center in Dallas, Texas, while the inaugural Roosevelt Awards in 2015 were held at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, and included a visit to Rancho del Cielo, President Reagan’s historic ranch atop the Santa Ynez Mountain range northwest of Santa Barbara.

To learn more about this year’s Roosevelt Award Honorees and view additional photos from the awards celebration at Mount Rushmore, please click here.

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The Ripon Society is a public policy organization that was founded in 1962 and takes its name from the town where the Republican Party was born in 1854 – Ripon, Wisconsin. One of the main goals of The Ripon Society is to promote the ideas and principles that have made America great and contributed to the GOP’s success. These ideas include keeping our nation secure, keeping taxes low and having a federal government that is smaller, smarter and more accountable to the people.

The Franklin Center for Global Policy Exchange is a non-partisan, non-profit 501(c)(3) organization committed to enhancing global understanding of important international issues.  The Franklin Center brings together Members of the U.S. Congress and their international parliamentary counterparts as well as experts from the Diplomatic corps, foreign officials, senior private sector representatives, scholars, and other public policy experts.  Through regular conferences and events where leading international opinion leaders share ideas, the Franklin Center promotes enlightened, balanced, and unbiased international policy discussion on major international issues

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