Mystery Friday Foto #10 Solved; Theodore Roosevelt goes for an automobile ride
Did you solve this weekend's Mystery Foto?
Identify the following:
- The prominent passenger
President Theodore Roosevelt
- The passenger's first in automobile history
William McKinley was the first U.S. President to ride in an automobile, but it was during Theodore Roosevelt's Administration that the first government-owned car, a white Stanley Steamer, came into use.
- The automobile manufacturer and year
1910 Mitchell model S (six cylinder)
- The approximate year of the Foto. Provide a rationale.
1910 from plate identification. One year after Roosevelt's last year of Presidency. In office- September 14, 1901 – March 4, 1909
- The likely location of the Foto
Connecticut is assumed due to license plate
Kudos question: The significance of the license plate.
The 'C' denotes a Connecticut license plate
Comments (12)
Congrats to Paul W, Frank, Mitch Paluszek, Phil, Steven Vilardi, George Philippides, Shawn Linn, David Miller, Roy Warner and Steve Lucas for identifying Theodore Roosevelt.
Kudos to David Miller and Steve Lucas for identifying the Connecticut license plate
Enjoy,
Howard Kroplick & Greg O.
Close-Ups
The Mitchell Connecticut license plate closeup
light colored (white) lettering on a dark background. While not as dark as if it were black or dark blue, this plate background matches closely to what red shows up as in B&W photos.
The only year Connecticut used a red plate with white lettering was 1910. The registration number is also within range of the numbers used that year.
Wikipedia
1910 Mitchell S 6-Cylinder
Comments
Theodore Roosevelt
First President to use a government owned car. Stanley Steamer.
I’m no expert but here are my answers.
1. Theodore Roosevelt.
2. The first president to make automobiles part of his presidency.
3. 1914 American LaFrance Speedster
4. 1915
5. Long Island Motor Parkway
President Teddy Roosevelt. First president to ride in an automobile. No idea as to the other answers, although I’ll guess it’s after his presidency, so sometime between 1909 and 1919. Probably somewhere in NYC.
It’s TR ????
Looks like TR with that fur collar and Walter Gosend driving the vehicle
The fur collar has to be Theodore Roosevelt. Could the driver be Walter Gosend’s grandfather?
Looks like Teddy Roosevelt. He was the first President to ride in a car as part of his official duties when he rode in an electric car in Hartford in 1902. He was also the first President to fly in a plane. I believe the car in the picture above is a Stutz Bearcat circa 1914-1915.
All I have is Teddy on his first automobile drive.
This is Theodore Roosevelt riding in a 1910 Mitchell Model S. He was the first U.S. President to ride in an automobile. I’m guessing this is around 1914 or 1915. The location of the photo might be Connecticut because the plate on the car is Connecticut.
1. Of course, it’s Oyster Bay’s most distinguished citizen - Teddy Roosevelt.
2. A guess - the first former President to ride in a car.
3. Absolutely no idea. However, Teddy was wealthy enough to afford the best. Unfortunately, I don’t know what the best car was back then. The car appears not to have a crank in front. If so, it must have had a self-starter. Maybe a Benz or a Pierce Arrow.
4. Probably just after Taft was inaugurated as President in March, 1909. Teddy was Police Comm of the City of NY in the 19th century. So, the police station, as it was, was probably in Oyster Bay or Nassau Co; Teddy was at the dedication of the first “modern” courthouse in Nassau (now Franklin Ave & Old Ctry Rd), which was in 1905. I also don’t see any Secret Service personnel, which was not provided to former presidents at the time. Plus, the winter coat. So, my guess is sometime in March, 1910.
5. See remarks in “4,” above. Additionally, the brick building was probably the Town Hall of the Town of Oyster Bay, which is where the HQ police station would have been for the Village of Oyster Bay.
The passenger is Theodore Roosevelt. He was the first sitting U. S. President to ride PUBLICLY in an automobile although not in the car in this photo. This car is a 1910 Mitchell Model S. I think the photo is from sometime in 1913 since the license plate looks like a 1913 Connecticut plate. Since the location look like NYC, and if it is a 1913 photo, then maybe TR was attending the 69th. Regiment Art Show on 23rd. Street which was only a few blocks from his childhood home on 20th. Street. The significance of the plate? - No clue.
Mystery photo #10 That building behind what I believe is fur collared TR in that sporty car is rather out of the ordinary. The window closest to us is out of perspective with the other windows. I think the door and the window are part of a round corner castle like turret. Notice also the side yard. The brick structure may be a church rectory or convent in an urban area. I was almost going to say it was his brick office in oyster bay that has since been extensively modified. The diameter of that turret is to small, there was a possibility of a lot north of the building but the next building north is too large to have been in that one time residential area.
A better view
A view of ‘Colonel’ Rossevelt driving a 1912 Haynes Model 21.
Superb historical photos and background!
Per the State of Connecticut List of Motor Vehicles, 1913 edition, the Connecticut License plate C9379 was registered to Chas. E. Zink, M.D. of Durham, CT.
Further comments of my photos that I posted Mar.14. The first is the 1910 Mitchell model S in the same setup as the first photo. The Colonel (as he prefered to be called, not Teddy like in Teddy Bear) The car being 1910 a year after he had served as president, a privite citizen. At Sagamore Hill, There’s former tool shed that became a garage for the goverment car during his time as president then as a priviite citizen. They always a had chauffeur, his wife Edith did not want TR to drive! So when TR and chauffuer were driven out of area, stop, and he asked the chauffuer to switch places so he can drive.