A 1918 Cadillac Type 57 that served in World War I has become the fourth vehicle added to the Historic Vehicle Association’s new National Historic Vehicle Register and U.S. Department of the Interior Historic American Engineering Record. Such is the importance of this vehicle that its listing will be archived in the Library of Congress.
The Cadillac touring car was used to support French and American troops near the front during the Second Battle of the Marne and later was used by Eleanor Butler Roosevelt, wife of Theodore Roosevelt, Jr., during her two-month mission to find and create locations for soldiers to enjoy time off.
Roosevelt, the son of President Theodore Roosevelt, served in both world wars. He earned a Medal of Honor for his heroics at Utah Beach on D-Day.
“The Cadillac Type 57 – U.S. 1257X is a great example of a rare survivor – a vehicle that saw extraordinary use during its active life yet has survived to the present day,” said Richard O’Connor, chief of Heritage Documentation Programs with the National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior.
“Recognizing the Cadillac military vehicle at the 100th anniversary of WWI commemorates America’s participation in the Great War and illustrates one of the many contributions the automobile has made to U.S. history,” he added.
The car was purchased by the Rev. Dr. John H. Denison from Inglis M. Uppercu, the Cadillac distributor in New York City. Denison then entered the service with the Y.M.C.A. in August 1917 and turned the car over to that organization, along with his services as a driver, to support America’s war effort.
The Type 57 seven-passenger touring car was used in Europe to transport soldiers and officers around the area, and then was used by Roosevelt, who mentioned the vehicle in her 1959 autobiography.
After the war, the Cadillac somehow found its way back to the US, with researchers still investigating how it was returned.
By Dan Mihalascu
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