Every former U.S. president has been honored with a statue in the United States, some more than others. A handful of the 43 men who have held the nation’s highest office have also been honored with statues abroad. Here are a few examples, including some that may surprise you.
Bush will always be welcome in the Albanian town of Fushe-Kruje, which recently announced plans to erect a statue of the former president to commemorate his June 2007 visit. Seven Albanian sculptors are competing for the rights to design the statue, which will be unveiled in Bush Square on the third anniversary of Bush’s visit next year. “If I had the final say, I would very much like a three-meter statue, probably in bronze, that captures his trademark way of walking with energy,” Fushe-Kruje’s mayor, Ismet Mavriqi, told reporters in a phone interview. In addition to the square where the statue will be erected, Bush’s name already adorns a street and a café in Fushe-Kruje, and the places he stopped during his visit, including a bakery, have become national landmarks.

In 1963, a statue of Truman was erected in Athens to honor the military and financial aid provided to Greece under the Truman Doctrine after World War II. The Greek government used some of that support to fend off communist insurgents during the civil war of 1946-49.
The 12-foot bronze statue has been a popular target of protesters since it was first erected in a downtown Athens square. In 1970, nine Greeks were sentenced for planning to set off time bombs at several locations in and around Athens, one of which was the site of the Truman statue. A successfully detonated bomb blew the statue off its pedestal in 1986, and 20 years later, anti-war protesters toppled the statue yet again.

Eisenhower is one of several former U.S. presidents who have been honored with statues in London. Eisenhower’s statue stands in Grosvenor Square, outside of the U.S. Embassy, and across the street from the buildings that he occupied as Commander in Chief of the Allied Force and then Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionary Force during World War II.
The statue was dedicated in 1989 by U.S. Ambassador Charles Price and British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. One of the two quotes on the statue’s pedestal is from Eisenhower’s first Inaugural Address: “The faith we hold belongs not to us alone but to the free of all the world.”

A bronze bust of Kennedy was unveiled on Kennedy Avenue in Cameroon in 2007 to commemorate the 45th anniversary of the Peace Corps’ arrival in the country. According to the Cameroon Tribune, the statue has been a target of vandalism. “the head of the statue is gradually being scraped off and the right eye almost damaged.” [Image courtesy Flickr user FriendsofCameroon.]

In early November, Clinton attended the unveiling of an 11-foot bronze statue of himself along a boulevard in Kosovo that bears his name. Thousands of ethnic Albanians attended the ceremony for Clinton, who is regarded as a national hero for launching NATO’s campaign to drive Yugoslavian troops out of Kosovo in 1999. The statue depicts Clinton with his left arm raised holding a portfolio bearing his name and the date when that air campaign began—March 24, 1999. “I never expected that anywhere, someone would make such a big statue of me,” said Clinton, who was making his first trip to Kosovo since it declared its independence from Serbia last year.
Lincoln’s legacy is among the greatest of any former U.S. president in the international community. There are multiple statues of Lincoln in Mexico, including one that was a gift from President Lyndon Johnson in 1966. In return, the Mexican government presented a statue of former president of Mexico Benito Juarez to the United States in 1969. There’s also a statue of Lincoln in Havana, Cuba, outside a foreign language school bearing the 16th president’s name.
In her 2007 mental_floss cover story “All the Presidents’ Secrets,” Senior Editor Jenny Drapkin explained Paraguay’s obsession with our 19th president:
The country is littered with Hayes memorials—from statues to schools to streets named in his honor. There’s even a city in Paraguay called Villa Hayes, which lies in the middle of a province called Presidente Hayes, which is roughly the size of South Carolina.
What did Rutherford do to deserve all this? From 1864 to 1870, Paraguay was engaged in one of the bloodiest wars in the history of the Americas—the War of the Triple Alliance. Facing the combined forces of Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay, the people of Paraguay were mercilessly defeated. Two-thirds of the country’s population died.
But even after the war ended, Argentina and Paraguay continued to scuffle over the Chaco, a huge tract of land in the southwest region of Paraguay. Unable to come to a resolution, diplomats from both countries traveled to Washington, D.C., so that President Hayes could arbitrate the debate. As you’ve probably guessed, Hayes decided in favor of Paraguay—and he’s been a national hero ever since. Once every 50 years, Villa Hayes hosts a huge festival in his honor. The next one is in 2028, so mark your calendars.

In advance of Obama’s recent visit to China, Beijing artist Liu Bolin created one of the most interesting monuments to a U.S. president ever created—a statue that shoots fire. Bolin’s statue features tiny holes through which gas ignites every couple of minutes. “He’s so hot right now, so I wanted to translate that through my work,” Bolin told reporters. Bolin acknowledged that some might misinterpret his work as offensive, but he said his piece “represents energy and life that Obama has given to the world.”
There is also a large Abraham Lincoln statue in London…
posted by jim rawlinson on 12-3-2009 at 1:00 pm
Great Article and the pictures of the statues was cool.
posted by Kari on 12-3-2009 at 1:13 pm
There is a bust of George Washington in St. Paul’s Catheral in London, honoring him for his service in the French and Indian Wars.
posted by Steven on 12-3-2009 at 1:20 pm
From 1928 until 1941 there was a statue of Woodrow Wilson in Prague CZ. The Nazis tore it down. There are now plans to replace it.
posted by SteveO on 12-3-2009 at 1:20 pm
That Chinese statue of President Obama is odd, but nice.
posted by Sara in AL on 12-3-2009 at 1:22 pm
Woodrow Wilson used to have a memorial in Prague – was destroyed by the Nazis in 1941, but is now in process of being reconstructed….
posted by Jenuwefa on 12-3-2009 at 1:31 pm
(sorry! didn’t see Steve’s post!)
posted by Jenuwefa on 12-3-2009 at 1:32 pm
Wow that’s some crazy Bush Fever
posted by Nick on 12-3-2009 at 1:42 pm
That’s OK, glad someone else appreciates Czech history.
posted by SteveO on 12-3-2009 at 1:57 pm
There’s a great half-bust of Kennedy in Galway, Ireland. Obviously revered in Ireland, I believe Kennedy had visited the mother land not long before an ill-fated trip to Dallas…
posted by raymundo on 12-3-2009 at 2:07 pm
In Edinburgh Scotland, there is a statue of Lincoln in a cemetery. It is, they claim, the only Civil War monument outside the US. Search for it and you can see picture.
posted by Gregg on 12-3-2009 at 3:19 pm
Albania
Albania
You border on the Adriatic
Your land is mostly mountainous
And your cheif export is chrome
posted by Coach Ernie Pantusso on 12-3-2009 at 4:32 pm
@ Jim & Steven:
There’s also a statue of George Washington outside of the National Gallery in London. London loves George, apparently.
posted by Lacey on 12-3-2009 at 5:12 pm
Obama, Obama, Obama’s on fiyah!!!
hehe sorry, couldn’t help myself… =]
posted by Barbara on 12-3-2009 at 7:21 pm
Is that a statue of Truman or Joe Paterno?
posted by Mr. Kris on 12-3-2009 at 7:41 pm
I am surprised President Obama doesn’t have like billions of statues in Cuba, Venezuela, Kalifornia, Russia, and other Socialist/Autocratic nations………….
posted by Annie on 12-3-2009 at 11:50 pm
1999? that can’t be right
posted by valerie on 12-4-2009 at 1:45 am
There is also a bust of JFK in Portland Place near Regents Park, London.
posted by Chris on 12-4-2009 at 8:29 am
Annie that was perfectly said…
I have seen Lincoln’s statue in Cuba. It is humbling to see a stutue of a United States president in another country.
We have done so much good in the world, we are great champions of liberty!
USA USA USA USA USA…
posted by graham on 12-4-2009 at 8:34 am
There is a Roosevelt statue in Oslo, Norway.
posted by John on 1-26-2010 at 4:06 pm
Barrack Obama also has a statue in Indonesia. Menteng Elementary School where he spent some years of his childhood, decided to pay homage to its ex student by erecting the statue of 10 year old Little Barry in one of the parks in Jakarta.
Many disapproved though, claiming that Obama hasn’t done anything significant for Indonesia to deserve such an honor.
The statue was then dismantled and erected again on the school’s yard.
See picture at http://www.detiknews.com/read/2009/12/14/122015/1259662/10/kalau-patung-obama-diturunkan-indonesia-bisa-rugi
posted by momotgembul on 2-25-2010 at 1:54 am
There is a statue of George Washington in Budapest, Hungary.
http://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WM5ZFY_Washington_statue_city_park_Budapest_Hungary
posted by David Willis on 5-10-2010 at 2:28 pm
there’s also a statue of George Washington in Paris.
posted by Josh on 5-29-2010 at 5:03 am
There is a Washington bust in Manchester in England. So far as I know, it’s something to do with the abolishment of the slave trade.
posted by Mephie on 6-28-2010 at 6:08 am
JFK’s bust is also in a square in Lima, Peru. It has been there a while, as he made a visit there and is still very revered.
posted by Mitch Wright on 7-13-2010 at 3:15 pm
Not to be rude, but the Chinese Artist’s surname is Liu, not Bolin.
posted by Mark on 7-20-2010 at 9:46 pm
There’s also a JFK bust in JFK park / Eyre Square in Galway Ireland. It’s a bit strange because he spent around 30 seconds addressing the citizens of Galway before moving on.
posted by Nancy Pants on 8-9-2010 at 9:20 pm
Love that statue of Bubba in Kosovo. The polished tone makes his suit look like something from the 70′s made out of cheap polyester. Quite fitting.
posted by Kevitivity on 8-19-2010 at 6:57 pm
Obama, he’s so hot right now.
-Mugatu
posted by Yams on 10-25-2010 at 11:26 am
Update: There is also a statue in Indonesia of President Obama as a child:
http://edition.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/asiapcf/11/08/indonesia.obama.jakarta.photos/index.html?hpt=C2
posted by Ryan Smith on 11-9-2010 at 10:55 am
There is a George Washington statue in Budapest.
posted by j t on 12-25-2010 at 5:04 pm
In Iraq, you can find a statue commemorating the shoe thrown at Bush. not exactly a presidential bust, but a great way to memorialize America’s greatest fascist. http://articles.nydailynews.com/2009-01-29/news/17915075_1_zeidi-muntadhar-shoe
posted by zuzuvela on 4-13-2011 at 9:32 am
It says a lot about that town in Albania, that the most exciting thing to ever happen there was a visit from the dumbest president we’ve ever had.
posted by sugabooga on 7-12-2011 at 4:24 pm
There’s also a bust of George Washington in Lugano, Switzerland.
posted by Jamie on 12-16-2011 at 4:26 pm