# What are the chances the Obama Presidential Library will be in Illinois and not Hawaii? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 1, 2012, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-chances-the-obama-presidential-library-will-be-in-illinois-and-not-hawaii/639598 "2012-11-01T18:05:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2012, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-chances-the-obama-presidential-library-will-be-in-illinois-and-not-hawaii/639598/1 "2012-11-01T18:05:11Z")
I understand that Presidential libraries are usually in the President’s home state. But given the mission of Presidential libraries (which would seem to be research and education), having it in Hawaii, across thousands of miles of ocean, would reduce its accessibility. Could an Illinois institution successfully use this argument, or something else, to take it from the proper home state? ---
**Author:** ![appleciders](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85f322/32.png) [@appleciders](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/appleciders)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2012, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-chances-the-obama-presidential-library-will-be-in-illinois-and-not-hawaii/639598/2 "2012-11-01T18:17:26Z")
I think it’s basically up to the President in question. If Obama wants it in Illinois, it is. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2012, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-chances-the-obama-presidential-library-will-be-in-illinois-and-not-hawaii/639598/3 "2012-11-01T18:22:24Z")
Illinois lost the Reagan Library to California, so turnabout might be fair play. ---
**Author:** ![zoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zoid/32/336_2.png) [@zoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoid)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2012, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-chances-the-obama-presidential-library-will-be-in-illinois-and-not-hawaii/639598/4 "2012-11-01T18:28:04Z")
He seems to have ties to Illinois over Hawaii. I wouldn’t bet against it being in Chicago, probably near on perhaps even on the U of C campus. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2012, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-chances-the-obama-presidential-library-will-be-in-illinois-and-not-hawaii/639598/5 "2012-11-01T18:32:14Z")
Why not Kenya? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2012, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-chances-the-obama-presidential-library-will-be-in-illinois-and-not-hawaii/639598/6 "2012-11-01T20:03:50Z")
Beaten to the punchline, but it would be awesome if he opened it in Kenya (after four more years, of course). ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Feldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lord_feldon/32/341_2.png) [@Lord\_Feldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Feldon)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2012, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-chances-the-obama-presidential-library-will-be-in-illinois-and-not-hawaii/639598/7 "2012-11-01T20:21:24Z")
Why would it be in Hawaii? His entire political career before becoming president was in Illinois, just like Ronald Reagan’s was in California and George H.W. Bush’s was in Texas. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2012, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-chances-the-obama-presidential-library-will-be-in-illinois-and-not-hawaii/639598/8 "2012-11-01T20:27:41Z")
Who goes to Hawai’i to go to a library? ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2012, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-chances-the-obama-presidential-library-will-be-in-illinois-and-not-hawaii/639598/9 "2012-11-01T20:33:40Z")
For presidents who were born in one state, and lived in others, I think it’s more the rule that the presidential library is in the state where they lived. Of the other presidents associated with Illinois: - Lincoln was born in Kentucky but lived most of his life in Illinois: his library is in Springfield, Illinois. - U.S. Grant was born in Ohio, lived in various states, but was living in Illinois when elected, and buried in New York: his library is in Mississippi! - Reagan was born in Illinois, but lived most of his life in California: his library is in California. On that pattern, Obama’s presidential library would be in Chicago. ---
**Author:** ![Moonlitherial](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4bbf92/32.png) [@Moonlitherial](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moonlitherial)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2012, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-chances-the-obama-presidential-library-will-be-in-illinois-and-not-hawaii/639598/10 "2012-11-01T20:40:09Z")
It’s his decision so the question is really moot, but say we were deciding this in a cour of public opinion > [@Leaper](#): > > I understand that Presidential libraries are usually in the President’s home state. But given the mission of Presidential libraries (which would seem to be research and education), \*\*having it in Hawaii, across thousands of miles of ocean, would reduce its accessibility. \*\* Could an Illinois institution successfully use this argument, or something else, to take it from the proper home state? I’ve bolded part of your quote. Wouldn’t this be a stronger argument the other way around? After all there are 13 libraries operated by the Office of Presidential Libraries and 8 more that are independantly operated, all in the mainland US. For those who are interested in where Virginia - 2 Massachusetts - 3 Illinois - 1 Mississippi - 1 Ohio -2 Iowa - 1 New York - 1 Missouri - 1 Kansas - 1 Texas - 3 California - 2 Michigan - 1 \* Georgia - 1 Arkansas - 1 \*Counts as 1 but Gerald Ford’s papers are split between two locations, both in Michigan Based on current state I would think there would be a strong argument for putting the Obama Library in Hawaii if access for the people was the criteria ---
**Author:** ![Geek\_Mecha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ecae2f/32.png) [@Geek\_Mecha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Geek_Mecha)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2012, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-chances-the-obama-presidential-library-will-be-in-illinois-and-not-hawaii/639598/11 "2012-11-01T22:25:23Z")
> [@](#): > > But given the mission of Presidential libraries (which would seem to be research and education), having it in Hawaii, across thousands of miles of ocean, would reduce its accessibility. > [@](#): > > Who goes to Hawai’i to go to a library? There are a ton of people who live full-time in Hawaii and are in research or education, who have great interest in politics and history. It’s not like the only people there are either dumb tourists or unrefined locals. And the accessibility argument is weak. The California libraries are just as far from the East Coast ones as a Hawaii one would be from California. The lack of an ocean in the way doesn’t diminish the distance. I say this as a native and former Honolulu resident who doesn’t think an Obama library belongs in Hawaii. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2012, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-chances-the-obama-presidential-library-will-be-in-illinois-and-not-hawaii/639598/12 "2012-11-02T01:33:40Z")
> [@Giles](#): > > For presidents who were born in one state, and lived in others, I think it’s more the rule that the presidential library is in the state where they lived. Of the other presidents associated with Illinois: > > - Lincoln was born in Kentucky but lived most of his life in Illinois: his library is in Springfield, Illinois. > > - U.S. Grant was born in Ohio, lived in various states, but was living in Illinois when elected, and buried in New York: his library is in Mississippi! > > - Reagan was born in Illinois, but lived most of his life in California: his library is in California. > > On that pattern, Obama’s presidential library would be in Chicago. Eisenhower’s another example. He was born in Texas (although his family only lived in Texas for three years) and was a Pennsylvania resident after World War II (although he often lived in Washington, New York, or Europe for career reasons). But he decided to locate his Presidential Library in Abilene, Kansas, which he considered his “hometown”. ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2012, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-chances-the-obama-presidential-library-will-be-in-illinois-and-not-hawaii/639598/13 "2012-11-02T02:02:44Z")
Nixon wanted his library at Duke where he went to law school. There was a big fight about it and the faculty voted it down by 1 vote. It ended up in California. ---
**Author:** ![NetTrekker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nettrekker/32/2909_2.png) [@NetTrekker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NetTrekker)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2012, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-chances-the-obama-presidential-library-will-be-in-illinois-and-not-hawaii/639598/14 "2012-11-04T00:14:47Z")
Why do you bring this up right before the election? Do you think this decision will have to be made in the very near future? Do you know something we don’t? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2012, 12:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-chances-the-obama-presidential-library-will-be-in-illinois-and-not-hawaii/639598/15 "2012-11-07T12:28:15Z")
In a related story, I just learned that W.J. Clinton was actually born in Arkansas. ---
**Author:** ![installLSC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/54ee81/32.png) [@installLSC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/installLSC)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2012, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-chances-the-obama-presidential-library-will-be-in-illinois-and-not-hawaii/639598/16 "2012-11-08T01:40:55Z")
> [@Giles](#): > > U.S. Grant was born in Ohio, lived in various states, but was living in Illinois when elected, and buried in New York: his library is in Mississippi! The long version of how that happened [is here.](http://cwbn.blogspot.com/2012/06/grant-papers-revisited.html) Short version is that it’s not a presidential library accredited by the National Archives, but a historian who decided to call his Grant papers a “presidential library”. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2012, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-chances-the-obama-presidential-library-will-be-in-illinois-and-not-hawaii/639598/17 "2012-11-08T18:50:12Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > In a related story, I just learned that W.J. Clinton was actually born in Arkansas. But under an alias.