The pocket watch once owned by the 26th President of the United States, Theodore Roosevelt, was stolen in 1987. Now, this important artifact has been unexpectedly rediscovered and returned to his former residence in New York, where it will continue to be showcased to the public.
According to reports from the Associated Press, the silver pocket watch was given to Roosevelt by his sister, Corinne Roosevelt Robinson, and her husband in 1898, before he took office as President. It accompanied Roosevelt on his journeys around the world until his passing, after which it was kept at his Sagamore Hill estate in New York. The estate is now a historic site.
In 1987, the watch went missing when it was loaned to the Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural National Historic Site in Buffalo, New York. It was stolen from an unlocked box and remained missing for many years.
It wasn’t until last year that the watch surfaced at an auction house in Florida, where it was seized by federal agents.
Last Thursday, the National Park Service and the FBI held a public ceremony inviting Theodore Roosevelt’s great-grandson, Tweed Roosevelt, to officially announce the watch’s return to the Sagamore Hill estate for public display.
Tweed Roosevelt, now 82 years old, expressed his joy in an interview on June 28th, saying, “This is great news.” For him, having this watch back at the old family home on Sagamore Hill feels truly special, like a part of Theodore Roosevelt’s spirit returning.
Tweed revealed that he was unaware of the watch growing up and only heard of it when it was stolen. He believes the watch held invaluable sentimental value for Roosevelt.
He stated, “This is more than just an old watch. Theodore Roosevelt cherished the emotional value of this timepiece.”
The National Park Service noted that during Roosevelt’s presidency from 1901 to 1909, he wore the watch during the Spanish-American War in Cuba and various explorations, including hunting in Africa and exploring the Amazon in South America.
In a letter to Corinne in 1898, Roosevelt wrote, “You could not have given me a title of more usefulness than this watch, which is just what I wanted.”
In his 1914 book “Through the Brazilian Wilderness,” Roosevelt mentioned a watch while crossing a river mouth, saying, “By the way, one result of this swim was that my watch – the old Cuban and African veteran – stopped angrily.” It’s believed this watch is the one his sister and brother-in-law gifted to him.
The mystery of the watch’s disappearance for many years remains partially unsolved. It is still unclear who stole it and the methods used. The details of its reappearance were only disclosed by the National Park Service and FBI last week.
When it appeared at Blackwell Auctions in Florida last year, the owner Edwin Bailey doubted its authenticity due to the lack of supporting documentation. Bailey mentioned that the common practice among art dealers and collectors in such cases is to verify before placing any hope.
Bailey stated that he was unaware of the watch being stolen and the person who brought it to him didn’t reveal its origins. He refused to disclose the person’s identity, mentioning that he never reveals the identity of his clients. He only mentioned that the person was an art dealer and collector in Buffalo during the 1970s and 1980s.
The collector may have had it in his possession for 30 years, thinking it was just an ordinary watch. Bailey believed the collector not only didn’t know the watch’s backstory but also likely didn’t view it as genuine.
Despite attempting to sell the watch to other buyers later on, Bailey was surprised by the FBI’s investigation. Ultimately, the watch was returned to its rightful place, a fact that brought Bailey relief.