Hear ye, Hear ye, let it be known, from this point forward, to all ruffians, hoodlums and criminals that attempt to pillage, plunder and raise havoc throughout Nassau County, that they have a new member of the Rough Riders to deal with.
Meet Rough Rider Tom Suozzi, also known as the Nassau County Executive. Suozzi, top hat in hand, ascended to his lofty throne atop the colt Little Nassau Tuesday, great nephew of Teddy Roosevelt’s Little Texas, along with other Rough Riders to unveil the Paul Manship Theodore Roosevelt sculpture in front of the Theodore Roosevelt Executive and Legislative Building in Mineola.
Suozzi invited the Rough Riders to the county as part of a “Bully Picnic” to commemorate the 109th anniversary of the laying of the building’s cornerstone by Roosevelt and the re-dedication of the building as the centerpiece of the county seat.
On July 13, 1900, then-Gov. Roosevelt laid a three-foot long granite cornerstone at the northeast corner of the building, once considered to be one of the finest buildings in the state. It remained the center of Nassau County government until the beginning of World War II
In 2002, renovations began to improve the building’s infrastructure, remove hazardous materials and preserve and restore the historic architecture and of the building.
The newly dedicated 13-foot tall statue of Roosevelt, who joined the Rough Riders in May 1898 and led the volunteer cavalry in Cuba during the Spanish-American War, was made in the 1960s by sculptor Paul Manship. It was cast at Paul King Foundry in Johnston, R.I., in 2002 and is the only copy available from the Manship estate.
“This beautiful sculpture is a fitting tribute to Nassau County’s own, Teddy Roosevelt, an independent-minded Republican, great conservationist, fearless police commissioner and battler of democracy,” Rider Suoz said in a statement. “I am pleased that many years from now this sculpture will symbolize the great promises of our County, its people and its future, just as this building did 109 years ago.”
