PRESIDENT HARDING'S LOCOMOBILE ARRIVES AT THE WHITE HOUSE
Washington, D.C. (JFK+50) On February 28, 1922, President Warren G. Harding's Locomobile* was brought from Marion, Ohio to the White House. Mr. Harding was the first qualified automobile driver to hold the office of POTUS. He drove frequently during his time in office "much to the discomfort of White House security people."
The Locomobile 48 (large size) continued virtually unchanged from 1914 until the company's demise (due to the Stock Market crash) in 1929.
According to the White House Historical Association...
"America's acceptance of the automobile as the official and ceremonial mode of presidential transport was complete in the inaugural parade of President-Elect Warren G. Harding."
Not everyone was happy about this turn of events. Representative Thetus Sims (D-Tennessee) said the automobile is " a dangerous means of travel. (It is) a genuine, all around nuisance."
JFK+50
We apologize for not getting this posted on Feb. 28, but just learned of this information today thanks to Jon Blackwell's "This Day In 1922." We contacted Mr. Blackwell by email and gained approval to use his research for JFK+50. Thanks, Jon.
SOURCES
"All The Presidents' Cars," by Al Rothenberg, Chicago Tribune, January 17, 1993, www.chicagotribune.com/"Help identify Mrs. Harding's car," by Mike Brewer, mikebrewer19561, June 2, 2018, www.forums.aaca.org/
"Motor Cars Come to the White House," The White House Historical Association, www.whitehousehistory.org/
"November 2: The Best Built Car in America Hits the Road," Today In Connecticut History, www.todayincthistory.com/
"President Harding's Locomobile," Jon Blackwell, ThisDayIn 1922@100yrsAgoNews, February 28, 2022.
