Mount Rushmore Faces: Washington, Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, Lincoln—Not Roosevelt, Kennedy, or Adams

None of the three names listed appear on Mount Rushmore. The four presidential faces carved into the Black Hills (1927–1941) are:

1. George Washington (1st President, Revolutionary leader)
2. Thomas Jefferson (3rd, Declaration author, Louisiana Purchase)
3. Theodore Roosevelt (26th, conservation, Panama Canal, trust-busting)
4. Abraham Lincoln (16th, Union preservation, emancipation)

Why These Four

Gutzon Borglum (sculptor) chose them to represent the nation's birth (Washington), growth (Jefferson), development (Roosevelt), and preservation (Lincoln). The Lakota call the mountain Tȟuŋkášila Šákpe (Six Grandfathers)—the carving remains contested.

Common Confusions

Franklin D. Roosevelt (32nd) ≠ Theodore Roosevelt (26th). John F. Kennedy (35th) — never proposed. John Adams (2nd) / John Quincy Adams (6th) — not selected. The four are deliberately non-overlapping in era and theme.

Mount Rushmore is a specific historical argument in stone—not a hall of fame for all greats.