View complete article and references at Commemorative Landscapes of North Carolina at: https://docsouth.unc.edu/commland/monument/91
Description: A shield bearing the stars and stripes is flanked by James K. Polk, holding a map, and Andrew Johnson, holding the Constitution. Behind them, Andrew Jackson sits proudly on his horse and holding his hat to his right side.
Image: Contemporary front view | Rear view
Nickname: "Three Presidents"
Inscription:
Under James K. Polk: 1795 1849 / JAMES KNOX POLK / OF / MECKLENBURG COUNTY / PRESIDENT / 1845-1849 / HE ENLARGED OUR / NATIONAL BOUNDARIES
Under Andrew Jackson: 1767 1845 / ANDREW JACKSON / OF / UNION COUNTY / PRESIDENT / 1829-1837 / HE REVITALIZED / AMERICAN DEMOCRACY
Under Andrew Johnson: 1808 1875 / ANDREW JOHNSON / OF / WAKE COUNTY / PRESIDENT / 1865-1869 / HE DEFENDED / THE CONSTITUTION
Rear: PRESIDENTS NORTH CAROLINA GAVE THE NATION
Dedication date: 10/19/1948
Creator: Charles Keck, Sculptor
Materials & Techniques: Bronze, granite
Sponsor: North Carolina General Assembly
Unveiling & Dedication: President Truman gave an address at the dedication ceremony of the monument. N.C. Governor R. Gregg Cherry, Secretary of the Army Kenneth Royall, and Senator Clyde Hoey attended as well. Descendents of each president participated in the unveiling.
Subject notes: The statue honors the three presidents that were born in North Carolina: Andrew Jackson, from Union County, was the seventh president of the United States from 1829-1837; James Knox Polk, from Mecklenberg County, was the eleventh president of the United States from 1845-1849; and, Andrew Johnson, from Wake County, was the seventeenth president of the United States from 1865 to 1869. Although all these men were born in North Carolina, they were all elected president while living in Tennessee.
Controversies: All of these men were elected president while living in Tennessee, so there is some dispute as to the actual "home" states of these three presidents.
Location: The monument is located on the East side of Union Square, the State Capitol grounds in Raleigh.
Former Locations: None; however, two coastal mortars displayed near this monument were originally displayed at Fort Macon, and were moved to their current location in 1903.
City: Raleigh
County: Wake
Subjects: Historic Political Figures