Triumviri Americani

Large medallion in bas relief with the heads of three Presidents: George Washington (1st), Abraham Lincoln (16th) and Ulysses S. Grant (18th), all facing left. A bronze band above their heads reads, ”TRIUMVIRI AMERICANI” and below, ”PATER 1789. SALVATOR 1861. CUSTOS 1869.”. The composition, by placing President Grant in front of his illustrious predecessors President Washington and President Lincoln, reflects the great esteem with which northerners regarded the general who had been instrumental in winning the American Civil War. At the time of the sculptures creation, President Grant had recently won the Presidential election in 1868, and was inaugurated on March 4, 1869. The title equates the three American statesmen with some of the most famous rulers of ancient Rome: the First Triumverate (60 B.C.) consisted of Julius Caesar, Pompey, and Crasus, and the Second Triumverate (43 B.C.) of Octavian, Antony, and Lepidus. Sculptor William Miller designated Washington the Pater (Father), Lincoln the Salvator (Savior), and Grant the Custos (preserver or protector).