Presidential Motorcades

Recently, Americans had another cow to add to the ever growing collection. We seem to have become a country that loves to blow things out of proportion or accept what we read before researching for ourselves.

The media reported that during President Obama's Christmas 2010 trip to Hawaii, he took a 10-car motorcade with 20 men to visit a high school buddy. Internet sites abound with reprints of the article, blogs, and comments about how horrible it is to take 10 cars. At first glance, 10 seems to be an excessive number of cars in a motorcade. However, being the inquisitive person that I am, I decided to investigate before accepting the facts, and jumping off the cliff with everyone else.

The first president to ride in a motorized car was William McKinley. His trips were infrequent and not visible to the public. The first president to be seen riding in a car was Teddy Roosevelt. That first motorcade took place on August 22, 1902. He was driven in an open car. The first government Presidential car was the first government owned vehicle and was a white Stanley. It is not mentioned how many vehicles were in that first motorcade, but an additional car and several-mounted policeman are visible in a picture taken that day. One would guess then that the first Presidential motorcade included about five vehicles.

William Taft was the first president to have a motorcade car. His first car was a Stanly Model M. He bought an additional car, and later added 2 Pierce-Arrow vehicles to the White House motorcade.

Things remained unchanged in the motorcade, until President Franklin Roosevelt drove in the first armored car
in 1941. At first, the government used Al Capone's armored car for Roosevelt's safety, after it had been seized. Later, one was built and purchased for the president. In The Naturalist, Edward O. Wilson' autobiography, he mentions that on one occasion in Biloxi, Roosevelt rode in a motorcade of 27 cars. This is the one of the first mentions of the size of a Presidential motorcade.

Beginning in the 1970s with President Richard M. Nixon, motorcades routinely had at least 27 cars. Each car in the procession is given a number with each car being assigned to a particular person. For safety reasons, the secret service changes the list at will, or changes the cars, having one or more to serve as a decoy vehicle for the President's safety.

During the Bush administration, in 2001, the White House motorcade began to consist of 37 vehicles. The White House Military Police are in charge of all of the vehicles in the motorcade. In 2006, an article on Slate.com states that the average motorcade is from 10 to 40 cars, depending on the circumstances and occasion.

In 2006, an article posted on http://www.slate.com stated that Bush's motorcade could consist of anywhere from 10 to 40 cars, including at least two marked police cars, and up to 20 motorcycles. This would add up a minimum of 10 vehicles to 60, depending on how many motorcycles are involved.

And last but not least is the report that instigated this article. President Obama, while visiting a high school friend in Hawaii, took a 10-car motorcade for the trip. At first glance, it appears that it was a 20-car motorcade, if one reads quickly. However, their were 20 men in 10 cars, according to the news report. This actually seems scaled down compared to past motorcades of previous presidents.

The history of Presidential motorcades has a long and illustrious past. McKinley may have been the first to ride in a presidential car, but it can be guaranteed that Obama will not be the last. The motorcade does not merely serve as a presidential fancy; it provides protection for the him, his family, staff and reporters. After all, three presidents have been assassinated and attempts have been made on the lives of two others. Our President deserves protection from those who would do him harm. If it takes a forty car motorcade, so be it. We should do whatever it takes to ensure his safety, whomever he may be, now and in the future.

http://www.aboutfamouspeople.com/article1135.html
The Naturalist by Edward O. Wilson, page 24.
http://visiontoamerica.org/story/obama-given-a-20-man-motorcade-to-visit-childhood-friend.html http://www.slate.com/id/2154626/ http://www.autoevolution.com/news/us-presidential-limo-from-steam-to-the-beast-7697.html http://www.slate.com. http://deadptesidentsdaily.blogspot.com/2007/08/august-22-1902-first-presidential.html