The construction of Mount Rushmore National Memorial began on October 4, 1927, and took 14 years to complete. The sculptor of the memorial was Gutzon Borglum, the son of Danish immigrants. He chose the two most famous presidents, George Washington and Abraham Lincoln, and chose Thomas Jefferson because of the 1803 Louisiana Purchase. Theodore Roosevelt was suggested by United States president Calvin Coolidge. Borglum's original design was intended to go down to their waists, but aside from the Washington sculpture time constraints and funding only provided for their heads.