{"id":2285543,"date":"2024-06-28T16:49:00","date_gmt":"2024-06-28T20:49:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/teddy-roosevelts-stolen-watch-returned-to-82-year-old-great-grandson-after-discovery\/"},"modified":"2024-06-28T16:51:06","modified_gmt":"2024-06-28T20:51:06","slug":"teddy-roosevelts-stolen-watch-returned-to-82-year-old-great-grandson-after-discovery","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/teddy-roosevelts-stolen-watch-returned-to-82-year-old-great-grandson-after-discovery\/","title":{"rendered":"Teddy Roosevelt&#8217;s Stolen Watch Returned to 82-Year-Old Great-Grandson After Discovery"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">20<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fteddy-roosevelts-stolen-watch-returned-to-82-year-old-great-grandson-after-discovery%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2285543&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The silver pocket watch, \u2062once owned by Theodore Roosevelt, \u2064was given to him by his sister and \u2062brother-in-law in 1898 before \u2063he became president. The watch, which accompanied Roosevelt in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/mississippi-governor-signs-critical-race-theory-ban-responds-to-flat-out-wrong-criticism\/\" title=\"Mississippi Governor Signs Critical Race Theory Ban, Responds To \u2018Flat-Out Wrong\u2019 Criticism\">important historical events<\/a> like \u200bthe Battle of \u2062San Juan Hill and\u200b his\u2063 explorations in Africa and South America, was stolen in 1987 from an unlocked\u2062 case at \u200cthe\u200b Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural National Historic Site \u2062in Buffalo, New York. After being missing for 36 years, it recently resurfaced at a Florida auction house\u200b and was seized by federal agents. Last Thursday, the watch was returned \u2063to its rightful home\u2064 at Sagamore Hill, now a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/gabriella-hoffman-idaho-lawmakers-strongly-oppose-lava-ridge-wind-project\/\" title=\"Gabriella Hoffman: Idaho Lawmakers Strongly Oppose Lava Ridge Wind Project\">national historic site<\/a>, in a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/u-c-berkeley-advised-chinese-government-on-economic-decisions\/\" title=\"U.C. Berkeley Advised Chinese Government on Economic Decisions\">ceremony attended<\/a> by Roosevelt\u2019s great-grandson, Tweed Roosevelt. Tweed remarked on the sentimental value \u200cof the watch to his family, highlighting\u200b its recovery as \u2063a return of a piece of Roosevelt&#8217;s spirit. The watch&#8217;s whereabouts during the time it was missing and the identity of the thief remain unresolved. Official confirmations from the\u200c FBI and the\u200c National Park Service have validated the\u2063 authenticity of the watch, which holds significant historical and sentimental value.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<header> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/news\/\">  News <\/a>   <span> <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/author\/ap-reports\/\">  <\/a> <\/p>\n<p> <span>  &nbsp;By <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/author\/ap-reports\/%20\"><span>The Associated Press<\/span><\/a> <\/span> <span>  &nbsp;June 28, 2024 at 11:20am <\/span> <\/span>  <\/header>\n<section>\n<p>The silver pocket watch was a prized possession of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/op-ed-teddy-roosevelt-warned-us-110-years-ago-situation-today\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Theodore Roosevelt<\/a>, a keepsake given to him by his sister and her husband in 1898 before he became president that would travel with him around the world and end up at Sagamore Hill &mdash; his home on Long Island, New York, and now a national historic site.<\/p>\n<p>But in 1987, it went from museum piece to pilfered prize when someone stole it from an unlocked case at the Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural National Historic Site in Buffalo, New York, where it was on loan.<\/p>\n<p>It was mystery that endured 36 years until it turned up at a Florida <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/titanic-debris-kate-winslet-floated-sells-tops-indiana-jones-whip-shining-ax\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">auction house<\/a> last year and was seized by federal agents. On Thursday, it was returned to public display at Sagamore Hill as the National Park Service and the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/disgusting-litmus-test-revealed-fbi-top-secret-security-clearance\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">FBI<\/a> triumphantly announced it was back home during a ceremony featuring Roosevelt&rsquo;s great-grandson, Tweed Roosevelt.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;This was feel-good news,&rdquo; Tweed Roosevelt, 82, said Friday in a phone interview. &ldquo;For me, it kind of felt like almost as if a piece of TR&rsquo;s spirit being returned to Sagamore Hill, like a little bit of him was coming back. And so I felt that was really cool.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Growing up, he said he didn&rsquo;t know about the watch and only learned about it vaguely after it was stolen. He called it &ldquo;unremarkable&rdquo; in appearance, but priceless to his great grandfather.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;As it turns out, this isn&rsquo;t just any old pocket watch,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;It was a watch that TR placed great sentimental value on.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The mystery of the watch&rsquo;s disappearance, however, is not fully solved. It is still not clear who stole it and how. The Park Service and FBI only released details of its reappearance this week after an investigation. The agencies did not return messages seeking comment Friday.<\/p>\n<p>Roosevelt, who was president from 1901 to 1909, apparently had the watch with him at the Battle of San Juan Hill in Cuba during the Spanish-American War and during future exploits, including wild game hunting in Africa and exploring the Amazon in South America, according to the Park Service.<\/p>\n<p>The watch, made by the now-defunct Waltham Watch Co. in Massachusetts, appears like many pocket watches of its day, with a plain silver exterior and no etchings. But the inside reveals its significance, with engraving that says &ldquo;THEODORE ROOSEVELT&rdquo; and &ldquo;FROM D.R. &amp; C.R.R.,&rdquo; referring to Roosevelt&rsquo;s brother-in-law and sister, Douglas Robinson Jr. and Corinne Roosevelt Robinson.<\/p>\n<div id=\"firefly-poll-container\">\n<p>Are you a fan of Theodore Roosevelt?<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>When it showed up last year at Blackwell Auctions in Clearwater, Florida, owner Edwin Bailey was excited by the engraving but skeptical it was real. It had no supporting documents with it, and the general mindset among art dealers and collectors is to verify before getting your hopes up, he said.<\/p>\n<p>Bailey said he did not know the watch was stolen, and the person who brought it to him didn&rsquo;t know where it came from. He declined to identify the person, saying he never divulges the identities of his consigners. He only would say the person was an art dealer and collector in Buffalo in the 1970s and 1980s.<\/p>\n<p>The collector told Bailey that he received the watch from another man who used to borrow money from him to go &ldquo;picking&rdquo; for antiques and other collectibles in the late 1980s. The picker would leave the watch with the collector as collateral, Bailey said.<\/p>\n<p>One day, the picker never showed up to retrieve the watch, and the collector found out that he had died, Bailey said.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;This dealer probably had that thing just squirreled away for 30 years thinking it was just another pocket watch,&rdquo; Bailey said Friday. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t think that my consigner had a clue about not only where it came from, but he probably didn&rsquo;t even suspect it was real.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Bailey said he researched the watch for weeks, pouring through Roosevelt&rsquo;s writings in online archives, trying to come up with definitive proof it was authentic. He said he found several bits of evidence that made him believe it was. The FBI, Park Service and Sagamore Hill officials would later confirm it was the real deal.<\/p>\n<p>In a note to his sister in May 1898, Roosevelt wrote, &ldquo;Darling Corinne, You could not have given me a more useful present than the watch; it was exactly what I wished. &hellip; Thank old Douglas for the watch &mdash; and for his many, many kindnesses.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>He also mentioned a watch in his 1914 book &ldquo;Through the Brazilian Wilderness.&rdquo; Writing about a bayou crossing, he said &ldquo;One result of the swim, by the way, was that my watch, a veteran of Cuba and Africa, came to an indignant halt.&rdquo; Bailey believes that was the same watch Roosevelt&rsquo;s sister and brother-in-law gave him.<\/p>\n<p>Bailey also wrote letters and sent pictures of the watch to various museums, the Sagamore Hill historic site and others, asking if they had any information about it.<\/p>\n<p>Last year, shortly before he was set to put the watch up for auction, Bailey got a visit from several people he thought were interested buyers. Then they pulled out their badges and a warrant. It was the FBI coming to investigate the watch and take possession of it, he said.<\/p>\n<p>The federal agents were courteous in asking questions, and he told them the story. He said he was glad that the watch is now where it belongs.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;It was exciting,&rdquo; Bailey said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve had a small handful of items that I say &lsquo;these are the best things I&rsquo;ve ever handled.&rsquo; I got to hold something that was personally treasured by a prominent American president. &hellip; This was Teddy Roosevelt&rsquo;s watch. This was a Mount Rushmore guy&rsquo;s personal pocket watch.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The Western Journal has reviewed this Associated Press story and may have altered it prior to publication to ensure that it meets our editorial standards.<\/p>\n<div id=\"author-info-44902\">\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/author\/ap-reports\/\">  <\/a> <\/p>\n<div>\n<p><label for=\"summary-tab-radio-44902\">Summary<\/label><label for=\"more-info-tab-radio-44902\">More<span> Biographical Information<\/span><\/label><label for=\"posts-tab-radio-44902\">Recent<span> Posts<\/span><\/label><label for=\"contact-tab-radio-44902\" onclick=\"if( typeof grecaptcha=='undefined' ) { let cap_s=document.createElement( 'script' ); cap_s.src='https:\/\/www.google.com\/recaptcha\/api.js?render=6LeJFcsUAAAAAPsIEqvB1EebWbZfqRUe6ebMpGy7'; document.body.appendChild( cap_s ); }\">Contact<\/label><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>The Associated Press is an independent, not-for<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/supreme-court-agrees-to-hear-case-involving-trump-17-house-democrats-and-the-biden-administration\/\" title=\"Supreme Court Agrees to Hear Case Involving Trump, 17 House Democrats, and the Biden Administration\">-profit news cooperative headquartered<\/a> in New York City. Their teams in over 100 countries tell the world&rsquo;s stories, from breaking news to investigative reporting. They provide content and services to help engage audiences worldwide, working with companies of all types, from broadcasters to brands. Photo credit: @AP on Twitter<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The silver pocket watch, a cherished gift from Theodore Roosevelt&#8217;s sister and her husband in 1898, accompanied him globally before residing at his Sagamore Hill home<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":136,"featured_media":2285544,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/teddy.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[33252,33253,33251,33250],"class_list":["post-2285543","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-82-year-old","tag-great-grandson","tag-stolen-watch","tag-teddy-roosevelt"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/teddy.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2285543","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/136"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2285543"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2285543\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2285544"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2285543"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2285543"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2285543"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}