WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) today announced that President Barack Obama has appointed him to serve on the Roosevelt Campobello International Park Commission. The Commission is tasked with administering the park as a memorial and preserving it as closely to its condition when occupied by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Senator King is one of six Commissioners.

“Campobello Park is a treasure, both for Maine and for our nation, which has been admired by generations of Americans including myself. Not only does Campobello bind us to our cherished history, but, as the only park in the world to be owned and administered jointly by two countries, it also continues to serve as a symbol of our valued relationship with our Canadian neighbors,” Senator King said. “I am honored by this appointment and pledge to work to protect Campobello so that it may continue to inspire Americans and Canadians alike for many years to come.”

Located on Campobello Island in New Brunswick, Canada, Roosevelt Campobello International Park preserves the house and surrounding area of Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt’s summer retreat on the island. The park is accessible from the mainland by the Roosevelt Memorial Bridge in Lubec, Maine.

The Park was created in 1964 by a treaty signed by President Lyndon Johnson and Canadian Prime Minister Lester Pearson. That same treaty established the Roosevelt Campobello International Park Commission, which is tasked with administering the park as a memorial and keeping the Roosevelt home as closely as possible to its condition when President Roosevelt was there. The Commission is comprised of six members, with three Commissioners from each country and six alternate members. The U.S. Commissioners and alternates are appointed by the President.

The treaty that created the park specifies that the United States and Canada equally share the costs of development, operation, and maintenance. The day-to-day management of the park is overseen by a superintendent, who is appointed by the Commission.

Senator King replaces former U.S. Senator Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) on the Park Commission. Former U.S. Senator Edmund Muskie of Maine also served on the Commission.

Senator King and his wife, Mary Herman, were most recently at the park in 2014 for the 50^th Anniversary celebration.

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