Presidential Library Archives - National Parks With T

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In April 9th, 1963, President John F. Kennedy proclaimed Sir Winston Churchill an honorary American citizen. Churchill’s mother was an American and his father from the Spencer family (from which Princess Diana also descended.) Churchill was too ill to attend at the time, but wrote a letter to JFK.

“In this century of storm and tragedy, I contemplate with high satisfaction the constant factor of the interwoven and upward progress of our peoples. Our comradeship and our brotherhood in war were unexampled. We stood together, and because of that fact the free world now stands.”

–Sir Winston Churchill

While Prime Minister, Churchill led Britain to victory in WWII. Because of his partnership with president Roosevelt during the war, Churchill is featured throughout the FDR library in Hyde Park. FDR directed the construction of the library himself in order to preserve the records of the 32nd president of the United States. He wanted to insure public access to his presidential collections. Dedicated in 1941, it is managed by the National Archives and Records Administration.

Because of the precedent set by FDR’s library, Congress passed the Presidential Libraries Act in 1955 in order to preserve the papers of future presidents for the public. FDR’s is the first of 13 Presidential Libraries.

FDR and his mother Sara Roosevelt donated the land for the library. It sits on 16 acres within the Hyde Park estate, Springwood, and the FDR National Historic Site. FDR used a room in the library as his office. Churchill stayed at Springwood, where he met with FDR to discuss the Manhattan Project.