President Donald Trump has compiled a fairly comprehensive list of 244 American founders, heroes, legends, and icons to be commemorated in his National Garden of American Heroes. Although populated by presidents, politicians, military commanders, judges, philosophers, authors, athletes, singers, movie stars, artists, scientists, inventors, pioneers, and even priests and preachers, the list isn’t quite exhaustive.

This author has previously suggested (here and here) 10 “American heroes” who do not feature on the president’s list, but whose legacy might be honored in the National Garden of American Heroes. Below are five more “American heroes” Trump may wish to remember if he wants to bring the number of greats in his garden to an even 250.

Marty Robbins (1925–1982)

The life of Marty Robbins is one so quintessentially American that non-Americans may be forgiven for mistaking it for a caricature: a World War II veteran, a country singer, a cowboy, and a NASCAR driver, Robbins did it all. Growing up in Arizona, Robbins was enamored with stories his grandfather would tell him of Texas Rangers, cowboys, and outlaws, themes which would later occur in his songs. Prior to joining the U.S. Navy in 1941, Robbins worked numerous odd jobs, including as a mechanic, truck driver, and amateur boxer. Like many young American men, he enlisted in the military during World War II and served as a landing craft coxswain. It was during his time in the Navy that Robbins learned guitar and began writing and singing songs.

Following the war, Robbins began performing at local venues in Arizona, eventually earning his own radio program and a local television show before signing a deal with Columbia Records. In the 1950s, the young singer’s music blended elements of country with pop and even a bit of the then-emerging rock and roll which would practically dominate the following decade. By the 1960s, Robbins focused almost exclusively on country music, especially ballads of the old West, producing some of his best-known and best-loved hits, such as “Big Iron” and his signature “El Paso.”

Over the course of his career, Robbins produced 52 studio albums and 100 singles, of which 99 made it onto Billboard’s Top 40 Hot Country Songs chart, including 17 that charted at Number One. His songs were covered by other musicians, including the Grateful Dead, Elvis Presley, and Johnny Cash, who once said that “there’s no greater country singer than Marty Robbins.” Throughout his nearly-four decades of performing, Robbins was known for adhering to a classic style of country music, in both sound and appearance, and would often perform in embroidered cowboy suits and wide-brimmed Stetsons, even when popular country singers of the 1970s and 1980s were wearing bleached jeans and flannel or denim shirts.

In addition to his career as a singer and songwriter, Robbins was a NASCAR driver, racing at such prominent venues as the Talladega and Daytona Speedways and driving Plymouths, Dodges, Fords, and Buicks — all American-made. He achieved six top-10 finishes over his racing career and always handled himself with integrity. In 1972, when NASCAR wanted to give Robbins the Rookie of the Race Award for significantly outperforming his own qualifying time — by about 15 miles per hour faster per lap — he refused, admitting that he had removed NASCAR-mandated restrictors from his carburetor because he “just wanted to see what it was like to run up front for once.”

Politically, Robbins was considered right-wing, a rarity in the music industry these days. His songs “Ain’t I Right” and “My Own Native Land” were popularized by conservatives in the 1980s and some of his more politically-charged songs were rejected by Columbia Records. At the age of 23, Robbins married Marizona Baldwin, who said she had always wanted to marry a singing cowboy, and the two were faithfully married until Robbins died following a heart attack in 1982.

Few singers have so encapsulated the spirit of the American West as Robbins did, with his countless ballads of love-stricken cowboys, daring gunslingers, haughty outlaws, and trigger-fingered sheriffs, all mixed in with lyrics extolling the natural virtue of the land God made which His creations later called “America.” Robbins’s unabashedly American life and equally unabashed love for his country, immortalized forever in song, are worthy of commemoration.

Roger Sherman (1721–1793)

One of the lesser-known but certainly influential Founding Fathers, Roger Sherman was born in what was then the British colony of Massachusetts. Although he had little formal education, Sherman learned much from his father’s expansive collection of books and a local Harvard-educated preacher. While working as a shoemaker, county surveyor, and county clerk in Connecticut, Sherman taught him law and later passed the bar exam. His legal prowess earned him a seat in the Connecticut House of Representatives and a position as a judge. He also taught religion at Yale College (now Yale University).

Sherman is noted as the only Founding Father to have signed all four of the most significant documents establishing the United States: the Continental Association, the Declaration of Independence, the Articles of Confederation, and the Constitution. He was a member of the First and Second Continental Congresses and, as a member of the Confederation Congress, also signed the Paris Treaty, which brought the American Revolutionary War to an end.

As a member of the Constitutional Convention, Sherman was an ardent opponent of democracy-heavy government, favoring instead a strong centralized government; he believed that the general populace “should have as little to do as may be about the Government. They want [meaning ‘lack’] information and are constantly liable to be misled.” Therefore, he opposed forming a government elected entirely and directly by the people.

Sherman supported the initial proposition of a single legislative chamber, wherein each of the states was represented equally, rather than the alternative bicameral legislature in which each state was represented in proportion to the size of its population; his arguments eventually formed part of the basis for creating the U.S. Senate. As a representative of the isolationist, less-populated Connecticut, Sherman consistently argued at the convention in favor of measures that would ensure the more populous states could not, on sheer account of their large populations, dominate and override the will of the lesser-populated states.

Although he is not as well-known as other members of the Constitutional Convention (largely because he did not keep a diary or record of his thoughts and experiences), Sherman was influential in creating some of the most important safeguards in the American government, the crucial “checks and balances” that have long kept densely-populated states like California or New York from running rough-shod over more sparsely-populated states, such as the Dakotas, Maine, or West Virginia.

This desire to see the smaller states of the newly-formed Union protected was balanced by Sherman’s advocacy for a strong central government, leading him to often side with Alexander Hamilton and the Federalist Party and stand as one of the most vocal opponents of James Madison and the Democratic-Republican Party. Years later, Sherman’s views would be at least partially vindicated when, in the wake of the War of 1812, Madison admitted that the War proved to him the necessity of a stronger federal government.

Squanto (1585–1622)

Remembered best for his role in the first Thanksgiving, the indigenous Squanto played a pivotal role in establishing what would, over a century later, become the United States of America. Not much is known of Squanto’s early life — even the year of his birth is, at best, an educated guess — except that he was a member of the Patuxet tribe of Wampanoags.

In 1614, Squanto was one of several natives kidnapped by British explorers and sold as slaves in Spain. There, Squanto and his companions were “purchased” by a Catholic priest, who freed the men and brought them to a friary to be educated and to learn the Christian faith. Again, little is documented of Squanto’s time in Spain, but it is believed that he eventually left Spain for England after some years and, after a brief stay in London, made his way back to North America aboard an English ship.

Squanto first landed in Newfoundland, in what is today Canada, and was a translator and advisor to the English governor of the area. He later returned to New England with English adventurer Thomas Dermer, who helped him form a new Wampanoag community after they discovered that Squanto’s original tribe had perished over the preceding years. Dermer left Squanto and his new friends for a period of time, but, when he returned, was threatened with death. While Dermer had been away, a European ship had reportedly tricked several Wampanoags on board and slain them, earning all Europeans the enmity of the small community. Squanto interceded for his English friend and convinced the Wampanoags to spare Dermer’s life. Shortly afterwards, and perhaps because of his friendship with Europeans, Squanto and Dermer were attacked by natives (although it is not clear whether or not they were Wampanoags) and Dermer was mortally wounded; he fled to the English in Virginia and died there, while Squanto fled to a Pokanoket community who had been neighbors of his first tribe.

When the Pilgrims famously landed at Plymouth Rock, it was Squanto who convinced his new chief, Massasoit, not to drive the Pilgrims away but to befriend them. Thus, Massasoit sent Samoset, another native who had learned English, to approach the newcomers. The Pilgrims were initially alarmed by the tall native’s entrance into their camp but took a liking to him when he asked them, in English, for beer. He later brought Squanto with him and, together, the two convinced Massasoit to meet with the Pilgrims. Squanto served as a translator and a sort of mediator between the natives and the Pilgrims at their first meeting and oversaw the signing of a treaty of peace and mutual defense; the terms of that treaty were maintained by both the natives and the Pilgrims over the course of Massasoit’s life.

When Massasoit and his men returned to their village, Squanto stayed behind with Samoset and became a close friend and advisor to Plymouth Governor William Bradford, who described the Christian-educated native as “a special instrument sent of God for their good beyond their expectation.” Squanto taught the Pilgrims how best to plant, grow, and harvest crops in their new territory, where and when to hunt and fish, and how to survive in the New World.

Importantly, he also served as the Pilgrims’ translator and their ambassador to the neighboring tribes, mostly of Wampanoag. The native brokered numerous peace treaties on behalf of the Pilgrims, secured the release of Pilgrim children who had been taken after going missing, and even assisted the Pilgrims in rescuing Massasoit when he had been captured by another tribe. The Pilgrims were also loyal to Squanto. After a Wampanoag shaman captured Squanto and intended to kill him, reviling his friendship with the Europeans, the Pilgrims formed a rescue party, led by Myles Standish (more on him later) and saved their native friend. The devotion of the Pilgrims to Squanto and the devout honoring of their treaty with Massasoit earned them the respect and even friendship of many of the neighboring native tribes.

Perhaps Squanto’s most famous appearance in the annals of American history is at the first Thanksgiving. The Pilgrims, having benefitted greatly from Squanto’s guidance and friendship, enjoyed a bountiful harvest and, after securing several turkeys, hosted a feast to celebrate their good fortune. Massasoit and many of his men brought a gift of five deer and spent several days with the Pilgrims cooking, feasting, playing games, and celebrating the success of their friendship. Later, however, some natives would accuse Squanto of using his friendship with the Pilgrims for personal enrichment, threatening to convince the English to wage war on local tribes unless he was richly rewarded. Massasoit believed these stories and, for a time, at least, demanded that Squanto be executed. However, Squanto’s friend Bradford and some of the other Pilgrims were less certain of the alleged duplicity. Squanto himself vehemently denied the charges and told Bradford that he would subject himself to whatever decision the governor reached. He remained with the Pilgrims until his death of a sudden illness in 1622, when he asked Bradford “to pray for him, that he might go to the Englishmen’s God in Heaven,” and bequeathed almost all of his belongings to the Pilgrims.

Squanto did much more than simply play a role in one of America’s most significant national holidays: the Christianized native was instrumental in forming good relations between English settlers and his own people and secured long-lasting peace, allowing the English to establish a foothold in the New World. He also guided the Pilgrims in learning the land upon which he himself was born and how to sustain themselves from it. Without Squanto and his unique love for European settlers, it is more than possible that America would look much different today, if it existed at all.

Myles Standish (1584–1656)

The story of English adventurer and military commander Myles Standish is equally important to the early English roots of America as the story of Squanto. Standish was born in England, probably in Lancashire, to a family of minor nobility, although he claimed throughout his life that his inheritance had been “surreptitiously detained” from him. He fought alongside the Dutch Republic in the 80 Years’ War and for the English in the Anglo-Spanish War, in both instances waging war against the Spanish. There is, however, some ambiguity regarding whether he fought as a commissioned officer in the English Army or a hired mercenary. He was, at any rate, living in Holland with the title of Captain when he was hired by the Pilgrims in 1620.

The Pilgrims, a group of English Puritans seeking freedom from the Anglican oppression dominating England at the time, had initially sought to hire Captain John Smith, one of the founders of the English colony of Jamestown in Virginia, but could not afford him; they further feared that the famous explorer’s strong character, depth of experience, and military prowess may result in Smith domineering the eventual Pilgrim settlement in the New World. Instead, they sought out Standish, who joined them on their journey aboard the Mayflower as a military advisor, although he was not a member of their religious denomination.

While the Pilgrims initially sailed for northern Virginia, they discovered, upon sighting land, that they had reached what is now Massachusetts, about 500 miles, by land, from their destination. Standish was one of those who signed the famous Mayflower Compact, an accord laying out the laws and governance which would establish order in the Pilgrims’ colony at Plymouth. The Pilgrims found that they were unable to reach Virginia, with the strong winds and seas of the Atlantic forcing the Mayflower to return to Plymouth or risk shipwreck. Since the Pilgrims had no charter to settle outside Virginia, the Mayflower Compact served as a crucial foundation for the Pilgrims’ colony and would later serve as a minor inspiration for America’s own Founding Fathers, laying out as it does rules to ensure self-governance, in the absence of British rule or governance, although the Pilgrims would still call themselves subjects of King James.

Standish was instrumental in establishing the Pilgrims’ colony at Plymouth, scouting out locations, building a fort, and arranging the settlement to ensure maximum defensive capacity. When illness struck and killed off half the colony’s population, Standish lost his wife, Rose; he nevertheless was a great comfort to his fellow settlers and helped nursed many back to health, including the colony’s governor, William Bradford, with whom he became close friends.

The Pilgrims formed a small militia, fearing hostility from the natives that they had sighted. Although Standish had been hired specifically to lead the colony’s military, he was still elected to the role, demonstrating an early adherence to respecting the will of the people which would later come to the fore during the American Revolution. Although he trained the militia in the use of pikes and muskets, Standish notably exhibited great restraint at times in conflicts with natives and urging his men to eschew violence when unnecessary. As noted, Standish led a successful mission to rescue Squanto and later led an expedition to defend a nearby English colony which was under threat from a native tribe, who planned to target Plymouth next.

Standish and his men initially only observed upon arriving in the neighboring colony, claiming to be visiting to trade. However, the hostile natives did not believe Standish and threatened his small party. The English captain had been ordered to find the eight native leaders who were plotting violence and assassinate them. This, Standish did, luring the chief warrior into a trap and killing him, before fighting more openly against the rest. He brought back the leader’s head to Plymouth. Although some in the small colony were critical of their military leader’s perceived brutality, all recognized that the English were not the aggressors in this instance and that had Standish not done what he had, both English settlements would have more than likely been wiped out completely. Standish also formed a close friendship on the trip with Hobbamock, a native who spoke English, and the two were friends for the rest of their lives. Later in life, Hobbamock would even come to live in Standish’s home with him and was treated as a member of the family.

In another episode, Standish was sent to yet a third nearby English colony, called Merrymount, to arrest its leader, Thomas Morton. Morton and his men were drunkards and quickly abandoned the Christian faith, if ever indeed they had had it in the first place, upon arriving in the New World. They sold weapons to the neighboring natives and, in many instances, took advantage of them, cheating them out of food and land. They also stole food, both from the natives and the Pilgrims. When Standish arrived at Merrymount, the men there were too drunk to aim or fire their weapons. When Morton pointed a gun at Standish, the Plymouth captain ripped it from his hands before shipping him back to England.

After Standish helped the Pilgrims pay off the debt they owed to the Merchant Adventurers, who had sponsored the group’s trip to the New World, he was given a large piece of land to farm. He gradually retired from his military role in the colony, serving in a chiefly and, later, exclusively advisory role, but serving as the colony’s treasurer. He set up his own church with his own minister on his property to tend to the Christian families who lived in what soon became the independent town of Duxbury. When his friend Hobbamock died, Standish had him buried on his own property. Standish himself died over a decade later, at the age of 72.

Although the United States of America would not be founded until over a century after Standish’s death, the English-born captain did choose America as his home and spent much of his life defending his home. His adventurous and sometimes-warlike spirit would live on in generations to come.

James Wilson (1742–1798)

Another of the lesser-known Founding Fathers, Wilson was born in Scotland and studied at that country’s most prestigious colleges and universities before eventually relocating to Philadelphia, where he became a teacher at the College of Pennsylvania (now the Ivy League University of Pennsylvania), which later awarded him a Legum Doctor degree, following his role in the American Revolution and the founding of the nation’s government.

Shortly before the Revolutionary War began, Wilson published a tract entitled “Considerations on the Nature and Extent of the Legislative Authority of the British Parliament,” in which he put forth the consequential argument that the American colonies were under no allegiance to the British parliament because the colonies had no representation there. In 1775, he was commissioned as a colonel in the Pennsylvania State Militia and was later promoted to brigadier general. He was a member of the Continental Congress in 1776, where he advocated independence and signed the Declaration of Independence.

Despite his patriotic fervor, Wilson also believed that even British loyalists in the colonies deserved fair representation and, as an attorney, often defended loyalists in court. When he defended nearly two dozen loyalists from property seizure in court after the British left Philadelphia in 1779, an irate mob attacked Wilson’s home. The lawyer and several friends and colleagues had to barricade themselves in the house and several were killed in the ensuing riot. The rioters were later pardoned by Joseph Reed, president of Pennsylvania's Supreme Executive Council, who had played a role in instigating the riot.

Unlike several other Founding Fathers at the Constitutional Convention, Wilson advocated direct control of the population over the government. He initially opposed the creation of the Senate and supported election of the president via popular vote. Despite his fierce determination that elections should be as direct and democratic as possible, or perhaps because he so trusted his countrymen to choose as wisely as he, the lawyer favored a strong federal government. Wilson also helped draft the Constitution, famously deciding to open the crucial document with the word “We,” in “We the people…” He is also credited as one of the chief authors of Article II, creating the role, structure, and character of the American presidency.

It was Wilson who determined that the executive branch should be vested in a single individual, rather than a triumvirate or council, arguing that it is easier to hold one man accountable for his executive actions than a council and that the presidency must be subjected to accountability and that triumvirates or councils would be bogged down by bureaucracy, infighting, and deadlock, while a single individual would not. “In planning, forming and arranging laws, deliberation is always becoming, and always useful. But in the active scenes of government, there are emergencies, in which the man … who deliberates is lost,” Wilson said. He also warned that while the “restraints” on the power of the legislative branch of the government were largely internal, such as conflict or disagreement among members of the legislature, the restraints on the presidency must be external. “These restraints are applied with the greatest certainty, and with greatest efficacy, when the object of restraint is clearly ascertained. This is best done, when one object only, distinguished and responsible, is conspicuously held up to the view and examination of the public,” he declared, in support of having only one figure responsible for the executive branch.

It was also Wilson who devised the idea of the Electoral College. Although he initially and fervently advocated (and much preferred) electing the president by national popular vote, Wilson was appalled at the proposed concept of allowing the legislature to select the president, rightly recognizing that as a grave threat to the separation of powers, a necessary component of the very existence of the executive branch. When the convention could not agree on how to elect a president, the Committee of Unfinished Parts adopted and modified Wilson’s electoral college concept. Wilson himself, however, made one final tweak: where the committee said that in the case of no candidate receiving a majority of electoral votes then the Senate would choose between the candidates, Wilson said that it ought to be the more democratic House of Representatives. The idea was approved, and Wilson became one of the most ardent and vocal supporters of ratifying the new Constitution.

As the nation’s first president, George Washington nominated Wilson to serve as one of the first U.S. Supreme Court justices. Although the court only issued nine rulings before Wilson’s death, he was a keen participant in debate over those rulings. He was also named the first professor of law at the University of Pennsylvania, which traces the founding of its law school to a series of lectures Wilson delivered to Congress. Although Wilson had at one time been one of the wealthiest men in the American colonies, using the profits from his legal practice to buy up substantial pieces of land, much of his land speculation fell through and, towards the end of his life, he was imprisoned at least twice for failing to pay his debts. He died of a stroke at the age of 55 while riding circuit and hearing cases in North Carolina.

Without a doubt, Wilson was one of the foremost legal minds of the American Revolution. A gifted orator, author, statesman, legal and political theorist, and judge, it is largely thanks to Wilson and his work on the U.S. Constitution that the American nation has lasted so long and enjoyed such success. He essentially defined the presidency and ensured, through his tireless speaking and writing, that Americans would be represented by their government, not dominated and trampled by it — at least in theory.