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Tomáš G. Masaryk
He had the mind of a scholar, the figure of a sportsman, the bearing of an aristocrat, the position of a king.But he had the heart of a democrat ...
-- Dorothy Thompson, NBC broadcast, September 24, 1937
This memorial honors Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk (1850-1937), the founder and first president of the Republic of Czechoslovakia. Although born to a family of humble origins, he achieved considerable renown as a scholar and university professor and entered politics. During World War I, he founded the Czecholovak National Council in Paris to advocate for independence from Austria-Hungary. In support of the Allied cause, he organized the Czechoslovak Legion, an army of volunteers that fought Russia, Italy, and France.
In 1918 Masaryk won the support of U.S. President Woodrow Wilson for independence. With the fall of Austria-Hungary, he became President of Czechoslovakia. He thrice was reelected, holding the office until 1935. Supported by his American-born wife, Charlotte Garrigue, and inspired by U.S. Presidents Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln and Wilson, Masaryk founded Czechoslovakia upon the ideals of free elections, the rule of law, the separation of powers, universal suffrage, and the fundamental liberties of speech, assembly and religion.
Memorial Facts
Sculptor: Vincenc Makovsky (1937)
Materials: Bronze on a granite base
Cost: $757,000 ($1,284,000 million in 2023 dollars)
Dedication: November 2002
Completion: March 8, 2003 |