Theodore Roosevelt’s watch, stolen in Buffalo, returned

A 126-year-old watch that Roosevelt carried with him around the world was stolen in July 1987 from an exhibit at Theodore Roosevelt’s inaugural site on Delaware Avenue.

The watch is believed to have had several owners since the theft, but was found in Florida last year. It was returned Thursday to the Roosevelt family home at Sagamore Hill National Historic Site on Long Island, the National Park Service told the Buffalo News.

Have the police ever figured out who stole Roosevelt’s beloved watch?

“No criminal charges have been filed and no arrests have been made during the investigation,” Park Service spokeswoman Cynthia Hernandez told The News Friday.

The investigation is ongoing, Hernandez said, adding that Park Service police are being assisted by the FBI’s art crimes team.

National Park Service officials declined to comment Friday when asked whether they knew who stole the watch or who knowingly possessed it as stolen property. The FBI’s art crimes team did not respond to a message seeking comment.

This unsolved mystery concerns one of America’s most colorful and beloved presidents, who had a special connection to Buffalo. Roosevelt, who served from 1901 to 1909, took the oath of office at the Wilcox Mansion in Buffalo. Roosevelt was vice president when President William McKinley was assassinated here in 1901.

Roosevelt mentioned the watch several times in his letters and books. He wore it during his famous climb of San Juan Hill in 1898, and during his travels in Africa and the Amazon River region.

The finely crafted silver watch was on loan from Sagamore Hill when someone stole it from the Wilcox Mansion — the federally owned historic site — in 1987. Buffalo police said the thief took the watch from a display case unlocked glass. The thief also took a card containing information about the watch’s history.

Fast forward to early last year, when the watch ended up in the possession of an auction house in Clearwater, Florida. Edwin Bailey, owner of Blackwell Auctions, told The News last year that he was asked to sell the watch. He told reporter Lou Michel that he became skeptical about the watch’s history and began doing some research.

Bailey said he and the man who asked him to sell the watch had no idea it was stolen. Bailey said he contacted experts at the Smithsonian Institute, Sagamore Hill and various museums, to try to verify that it was Roosevelt’s watch.

“Someone must have contacted law enforcement” about his inquiries, he told The News on Friday.

Bailey said he vividly remembers the day in March 2023 when five FBI agents entered his workplace.

“They were very nice and polite, but they told me, ‘We have a warrant and we’re taking this surveillance,'” Bailey said.

He said he cooperated with the investigation and was assured by authorities that they did not suspect him of any wrongdoing.

Bailey said the watch and jewelry collector who brought him the watch — a former Buffalo-area man he declined to identify by name — said he got it from another Buffalo man, now deceased, a “picker” who looked for valuables at yard sales and antique shops.

“I have no idea what law enforcement knows or what they do with that information,” Bailey said. “I would have loved to sell Roosevelt’s watch, but I’m glad I did a little bit to help put it back where it belongs.”

Bailey said he had never seen any publicity regarding the theft of the watch, except for a small article published by The News in 1987.

The National Park Service is asking anyone with information about the crime to contact its Investigative Services Branch at 888-653-0009.

Bailey calls the watch a “national treasure” and estimates it would be worth at least $500,000 if sold legally.

Spencer D. Morgan, executive director of the Roosevelt Inaugural Site in Buffalo, hopes someone will be held accountable for the theft.

Morgan was on hand at Sagamore Hill on Thursday, during a ceremony in which the long-missing watch was officially returned and put on display in a new exhibit at the Roosevelt family home. He said he was honored to attend the event, where he met two of Teddy Roosevelt’s great-grandchildren, Tweed and Elizabeth.

“It made me very happy to see this important historical artifact back in its place,” Morgan said. “Who stole it?” Maybe we’ll know one day, maybe not.

“It’s a mystery, an unsolved mystery and an emotional mystery that has plagued our community for decades,” Morgan said. “About 30,000 people visit our museum every year. This is the only robbery we’ve ever had here. Obviously, security has been significantly increased since 1987.”

According to Morgan, stealing a historical artifact is a “worse crime than stealing money from a bank.” He said money can be replaced, while a historical piece such as a legendary presidential watch cannot.

Morgan said there were many joyful moments during Thursday’s ceremony on Long Island, including some enthusiastic remarks from Teddy Roosevelt’s great-grandson, Tweed.

“Tweed said if Teddy was still here and heard his watch was back, he would have said a word,” Morgan recalled. “Bully!”