A pocket watch belonging to Theodore “Teddy” Roosevelt has been found after it was stolen 37 years ago. It was announced last week by the National Park Service (NPS).
The watch was stolen while on loan for a museum exhibition. It was eventually found by New York at an auction house in Florida. But an auctioneer's suspicion that the piece might be linked to the 26th president of the United States led him to investigate its origins.
NPS special agents, with the help of the FBI Art Crime team, were called in to recover the artifact. After two historical websites linked to the former president's estate confirmed its authenticity.
A repatriation ceremony was held on 27 June in New York. To formalize the return of the clock to Sagamore Hill National Historic Site. That is, where it has been since Roosevelt's death in 1919.
Sagamore Hill is located on Long Island, New York in the town of Oyster Bay. It was Roosevelt's home and was known as the “Summer White House”. Because he spent summers there when he was president from 1901 to 1909.
The clock will be on display in a special exhibition in the historic site, free of charge to the public for the next three months. It was last on public display at the Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural National Historic Site in Buffalo, New York. Sagamore Hill had loaned the clock to the museum for an exhibition. On July 21, 1987, the FBI reported that the pocket watch had been stolen.
Theodore “Teddy” Roosevelt's pocket watch was stolen in 1987 from the Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural National Historic Site in Buffalo, New York, where it was on loan for an exhibit.
No suspects were arrested in connection with the theft and the fate of the watch was unknown for decades. Until it resurfaced at an auction house in Florida last year, the NPS said.
The auctioneer believed that the 1800 pocket watch may have belonged to FDR, who had many pocket watches during his lifetime.
According to the NPS, this particular clock was a gift from his younger sister, Corinne Roosevelt Robinson and his son-in-law, Douglas Robinson Jr. in 1898. They gave it to him before he left to fight in the Spanish-American War.1
On May 5, 1898, Roosevelt wrote to his sister. “My dear Corinne, you could not have given me a more useful gift than the watch; it was just what I wanted... I thank old Douglas for the watch - and for his many, many kindnesses.”.
The watch accompanied Roosevelt, a lieutenant colonel, as he led the 1st U.S. Volunteer Cavalry. It was still with him during his assault on San Juan Hill in Cuba. But also during his hunt in Africa.
Roosevelt mentioned the clock while detailing a difficult crossing of the bay in his 1914 book “Through the Brazilian Wilderness”. He wrote: “One effect of the swim, by the way, was that my watch, a veteran of Cuba and Africa, stopped indignantly.”.
The clock was repaired after Roosevelt's overseas adventures. The NPS said it likely continued to accompany him through all parts of his presidency, including his two inaugurations.
FBI Special Agent Robert Giczy, a member of the FBI's Art Crimes Task Force, investigated the origin of the clock. He described the watch as a “fairly pedestrian” 17-jewel Waltham watch with a cheap silver coin case.
This is an 1888 model, “Riverside” grade, with a hunter style case. Which means it has a cap on each side, which folds up and surrounds the dial and movement.
Giczy praised the NPS, saying the agency is doing “an excellent job of enforcing and recovering our national property.”.
“The repatriation of the watch would not have been possible without the close cooperation between the FBI and the NPS. This collaboration ensured that this historic treasure could be safely returned for future generations to enjoy,” he said.
The repatriation ceremony on June 27 was attended by NPS Director Chuck Sams, members of the Roosevelt family. But also representatives of the NPS, as well as representatives of the FBI. Including the New York, Miami and Tampa offices and members of the Art Crime team.
“I am honored to have a role in preserving American history. So that current and future generations can learn from it,” Sams said, according to NPS.
“The recovery and return of this remarkable piece of presidential history, a treasured personal possession of President Theodore Roosevelt, to its rightful home here on Sagamore Hill reflects both the dedication and hard work of the NPS and partners in the spirit of preservation.”.
The clock will be on display in an exclusive exhibition at the Old Orchard Museum, part of Sagamore Hill National Historic Site. It will be available for free public viewing for the next three months.
It is one of thousands of objects originally donated to the NPS by the Roosevelt family through the Theodore Roosevelt Association in 1963 and will remain part of the museum's permanent collection.
“The stories this clock could tell over the past 126 years include colorful yet profound moments in American history,” said Jonathan Parker, supervisor of Sagamore Hill National Historic Site.
“Historical objects are powerful because they are literally protagonists in historical events, and in the case of this historic clock, it is also a beloved family heirloom of a famous American president. It has been almost 40 years since the public last saw President Roosevelt's clock. So we are thrilled to bring this clock back into the public eye in a public display.”.
Source: nationaljeweler.com
