These dapper men pictured in the 1918 Buick touring car were photographed on October 21, 1920. The men are unidentified except for the 38-year-old Assistant Secretary of the Navy, Franklin D. Roosevelt on the right. The photo was taken in front of the Community Trade Center, near South Main Street and Taylor Street in “Roosevelt Square”, now known as Brooklyn Square.
The Jamestown Evening Journal published an editorial on October 22: “Jamestown entertained a very pleasant and agreeable guest Thursday afternoon in the person of Franklin D. Roosevelt … Democratic candidate for vice president of the United States and a most polished and agreeable gentleman to meet personally.”
The national election that would be held on November 2, 1920, was full of “firsts.” It was the first election since the end of World War I. It was the first election after the ratification of the 19th amendment, meaning that women would be allowed to cast their ballots for the first time. It was also the first election where the results were broadcast on the radio.
Jamestown seemed to be a very popular place for political speechmaking. On October 20, former President Theodore Roosevelt came to town to speak at a “Republican Mass Meeting” which was held at the Washington Street Car Barns with chairs set up for 4,000. That same week, Senator Warren G. Harding, the Republican candidate for President, was speaking in Rochester and Buffalo.
Harding and his Vice President, Calvin Coolidge, easily won the election over Ohio Governor James M. Cox and his running mate, FDR.
In late October 1919, “Roosevelt Square” had been named in honor of former President Roosevelt, who had visited Jamestown in 1898, 1900 and 1910, according to Chautauqua County Historian Norman Carlson. The name was changed back to “Brooklyn Square” in November 1925.
Franklin D. Roosevelt had been Assistant Secretary of the Navy since 1913 in the Wilson administration, having previously served as a NY State Senator. After his defeat with Governor Cox, FDR would continue his life in politics after recovering from polio that he contracted in 1921. He was elected as governor of New York State in 1928 and began his first term as the 32nd President of the United States in 1933.
Thank you to Chautauqua County Historian Norman Carlson and Art Osterdahl for their contribution to this article.
