Franklin D. Roosevelt Signed Commemorative WWI Lake Torpedo Boat Company Photographs.

ROOSEVELT, Franklin D.

$2,750.00

Item Number: 147241

Bridgeport, CT: Lake Torpedo Boat Co, c. May 20, 1918.

Rare vintage photographs of Franklin D. Roosevelt as Assistant Secretary of the U. S. Navy, signed by him. Two gelatin silver photographs showing FDR on his May 20, 1918 visit to Lake Torpedo Boat Company in Bridgeport, Connecticut, the first of Roosevelt seated next to various officials on the speaker’s stand, and the second of Roosevelt and the same group of men walking past a building on the plant site. Signed by him on the lower right of the mat of each photograph, “Franklin D Roosevelt.” Matted and framed with a manuscript caption, “Lake Torpedo Boat Co Bridgeport, Conn, May 20, 1918.” On that date in Bridgeport, Connecticut, Roosevelt spent an incredibly busy day visiting no fewer than four munitions plants, a naval base, and the state armory. The submarine-manufacturing plant, Lake Torpedo Boat Company, was one of the first stops on Roosevelt’s itinerary. While there, Roosevelt gave an address from the company launching platform to about 1,700 workers, in which he spoke about the importance of building an American fleet of submarines that could seek out and destroy German U-boats. Roosevelt toured N-class and O-class submarines then under various stages of manufacture at the plant, attended a flag-raising ceremony, and greeted many employees and naval officers. Local newspapers enthusiastically reported about how two local teenagers, 15-year-old electricians’ assistants, got to shake Roosevelt’s hand during the visit. The same day of his tour of the Lake Torpedo Boat Company, Roosevelt also inspected the nearby Remington Arms & Ammunition Company and the Black Rock Naval Reserve base, all the while promoting wartime productivity and patriotism among workers. In near fine condition. Each piece measures 10.625 inches by 8.75 inches by 1 inch.

American statesman and political leader Franklin Delano Roosevelt served as the President of the United States from 1933 to 1945. A Democrat, he won a record four presidential elections and dominated his party after 1932 as a central figure in world events during the mid-20th century, leading the United States during a time of worldwide economic depression and war. Having been left paralyzed from the waist down by polio in 1921, FDR's inability to walk was deliberately disguised by both his personal White House physician and the media in order to manufacture a facade of perfect health. In many cases, the President's health translated to the appearance of the health of the nation.