A cherished silver pocket watch belonging to Theodore Roosevelt, a gift from his sister and brother-in-law in 1898, has been returned to public display 36 years after it was stolen.
This timepiece, which accompanied Roosevelt throughout his career including his presidency and global expeditions, was stolen from the Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural National Historic Site in Buffalo, New York, in 1987.
The watch’s recovery and return to Sagamore Hill, Roosevelt’s Long Island home and now a national historic site, marks the culmination of a decades-long mystery. Its reappearance at a Florida auction house in 2023 led to its seizure by federal agents and subsequent authentication by the National Park Service and FBI.
Manufactured by the defunct Waltham Watch Co., the watch’s significance lies not in its outward appearance but in its interior engraving, which bears Roosevelt’s name and that of its gifters. Roosevelt’s great-grandson, Tweed Roosevelt, likened its return to a piece of the former president’s spirit rejoining Sagamore Hill.
The watch’s journey from museum piece to stolen artifact and back again remains partially shrouded in mystery. Its reemergence is attributed to an art dealer and collector in Buffalo, who acquired it as collateral from a now-deceased antique picker in the late 1980s. The collector, reportedly unaware of its historical significance, eventually consigned it to Blackwell Auctions in Clearwater, Florida.
Auction house owner Edwin Bailey’s research, including scrutiny of Roosevelt’s writings, provided compelling evidence of the watch’s authenticity. References to the timepiece in Roosevelt’s personal correspondence and his 1914 book “Through the Brazilian Wilderness” further corroborated its provenance.
The FBI’s intervention, just prior to the watch’s scheduled auction, led to its recovery and ultimate return to Sagamore Hill.
This incident resolves a longstanding historical mystery — and also highlights the enduring fascination with Roosevelt.