Republican Origin of the Christopher Columbus Memorial Fountain in Washington, DC

Grand Old Partisan celebrates more than seventeen decades of Republican heroes and heroics. Today, I spotlight the Christopher Columbus Memorial Fountain, at Union Station in Washington DC.

This project began as an initiative by the Catholic fraternal organization Knights of Columbus. Funding was passed by the GOP-controlled 59th Congress and signed by President Theodore Roosevelt.


June 8th 1912, more than fifty thousand people gathered for the dedication. In attendance were the Italian and Spanish ambassadors, the papal nuncio, the Speaker of the House, the Chief Justice, Cabinet officers, and other dignitaries. After opening remarks by the Knights of Columbus national director, President William Howard Taft observed:


"It is most appropriate in this beautiful place in which the visitor to the country’s capital first sets foot upon the small district that is the only territory in which this great government exercises exclusive jurisdiction, that he should be confronted by a statue of the great mariner whose genius and daring opened this half world to progress and development. Here, Columbus may well have his greatest and most fitting memorial."

The second Trump administration restored it to its former glory, undoing Democrat neglect.

Back to Basics for the Republican Party is my civil rights history of the GOP. To quote the book: "The more we Republicans know about the history of our party, the more Democrats will worry about the future of theirs. For more information, see www.grandoldpartisan.com. 

Here is a YouTube Video about this article.

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Here is my Substack about this article.

Michael Zak is author of Back to Basics for the Republican Party, a history of GOP civil rights achievement.


Each day, his YouTube videos and TikTok videos and Rumble videos and Grand Old Partisan blog celebrate more than seventeen decades of Republican heroes and heroics. And, see Speech Raves for audience feedback from his presentations in thirty-one states.

Clarence Thomas cited Back to Basics for the Republican Party in a Supreme Court decision.

"This is the most amazing book about politics that I have ever read. The Overview should be required reading for anyone with even a minor interest in government. The remainder is an enthralling history lesson that I will never forget. For years, we have all been misled about the true nature of the GOP. This is the real deal! Read it and be proud!"

"Your book is a national treasure. I'm always recommending it."

"Michael Zak wrote the definitive history of the GOP."

"Back to Basics for the Republican Party is the most significant contribution to the Republican Party in the last twenty years apart from Ronald Reagan."

"Back to Basics for the Republican Party is more important to our party now than ever before."

and

"one of the best books I ever read"

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