The prized silver pocket watch of Theodore Roosevelt, stolen in 1987, has been returned to his home at Sagamore Hill in Long Island, New York, after being discovered at a Florida auction house last year.
The pocket watch, given to Roosevelt by his sister and her husband in 1898, had been on display at the Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural National Historic Site in Buffalo, New York when it was stolen from an unlocked case.
For 36 years, the watch’s whereabouts remained a mystery until it resurfaced at Blackwell Auctions in Clearwater, Florida. The watch was identified and seized by federal agents, and on Thursday, it was returned to Sagamore Hill in a ceremony featuring Roosevelt’s great-grandson, Tweed Roosevelt.
“This was feel-good news,” said Tweed Roosevelt, 82. “For me, it kind of felt like almost as if a piece of TR’s spirit being returned to Sagamore Hill, like a little bit of him was coming back. And so I felt that was really cool.”
Roosevelt, who served as president from 1901 to 1909, reportedly carried the watch during significant events, including the Battle of San Juan Hill during the Spanish-American War, a hunting expedition in Africa, and an exploration of the Amazon.
The watch, crafted by the Waltham Watch Co. in Massachusetts, is unremarkable in appearance but holds great sentimental value. Inside the watch, an engraving reads, “THEODORE ROOSEVELT” and “FROM D.R. & C.R.R.,” referring to his brother-in-law and sister, Douglas Robinson Jr. and Corinne Roosevelt Robinson.
Auction house owner Edwin Bailey said he was excited but skeptical upon discovering the engraving. “It had no supporting documents with it, and the general mindset among art dealers and collectors is to verify before getting your hopes up,” Bailey explained.
Bailey, unaware the watch had been stolen, only discovered its true history when federal agents visited his auction house last year. After extensive research and consultation with various institutions, including the FBI and the National Park Service, it was confirmed to be Roosevelt’s watch.
In a note to his sister in May 1898, Roosevelt wrote, “Darling Corinne, You could not have given me a more useful present than the watch; it was exactly what I wished. … Thank old Douglas for the watch — and for his many, many kindnesses.”
Reflecting on the watch’s significance, Bailey remarked, “I’ve had a small handful of items that I say ‘these are the best things I’ve ever handled.’ I got to hold something that was personally treasured by a prominent American president. … This was Teddy Roosevelt’s watch. This was a Mount Rushmore guy’s personal pocket watch.”
The return of the watch not only solves a decades-long mystery but also restores a valuable piece of history to the public display at Sagamore Hill.
Paraluman P. Funtanilla
Paraluman P. Funtanilla is Tutubi News Magazine's Marketing Specialist and is a Contributing Editor. She finished her degree in Communication Arts in De La Salle Lipa. She has worked as a Digital Marketer for start-up businesses and small business spaces for the past two years. She has earned certificates from Coursera on Brand Management: Aligning Business Brand and Behavior and Viral Marketing and How to Craft Contagious Content. She also worked with Asia Express Romania TV Show.
