Sewall K. Crocker (April 7, 1883 – April 22, 1913) was an American bicycle racer and

automobile A car or automobile is a motor vehicle with Wheel, wheels. Most definitions of ''cars'' say that they run primarily on roads, Car seat, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport private transport#Personal transport, pe ...

pioneer from

Tacoma, Washington Tacoma ( ) is the county seat of Pierce County, Washington, United States. A port city, it is situated along Washington's Puget Sound, southwest of Seattle, northeast of the state capital, Olympia, Washington, Olympia, and northwest of Mount ...

, who became the

mechanic A mechanic is an artisan, skilled tradesperson, or technician who uses tools to build, maintain, or repair machinery, especially cars. Duties Most mechanics specialize in a particular field, such as auto body mechanics, air conditioning and r ...

and co-driver who partnered with

Horatio Nelson Jackson Horatio Nelson Jackson (March 25, 1872 – January 14, 1955) was an American physician and automobile pioneer. In 1903, he and driving partner Sewall K. Crocker became the first people to drive an automobile across the United States. Earl ...

in the first successful cross-country automobile trip in 1903.''Western Field: The Sportsman's Magazine of the West'', Volume 3 (1903), 564-65. Extensive quote from July, 1903 ''Automobile Topics'' magazine, titled '1903 Cross Country by Dr Jackson in his Winton Automobile' Crocker was born in

Walla Walla, Washington Walla Walla is a city in Walla Walla County, Washington, where it is the largest city and county seat. It had a population of 34,060 at the 2020 census, estimated to have decreased to 33,927 as of 2021. The population of the city and its two su ...

on April 7, 1883. In addition to giving Jackson driving lessons, he also may have convinced Jackson to use a Winton vehicle for the trip. Jackson purchased a two-cylinder, 20-horsepower Winton motor car that he dubbed the ''

Vermont Vermont () is a state in the northeast New England region of the United States. Vermont is bordered by the states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, and New York to the west, and the Canadian province of Quebec to ...

'' for the journey, which was conceived following a $50 wager to prove that a four-wheeled machine could be driven across the country. The drive from coast to coast was financed by Jackson, ultimately costing $8,000 (adjusted to 2022 dollars, approximately $260,000). Crocker and Jackson departed

San Francisco, California San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...

on May 23, 1903, and drove to

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

in about 63 days, arriving on July 26. They never collected the $50 wager. Crocker was primarily responsible for making the necessary repairs of the vehicle during the trip, which broke down frequently, especially on the harsh, unpaved roads of the West. The two men, along with Jackson's dog Bud, quickly became national celebrities. After the race, Crocker attempted to capitalize on his fame by seeking sponsors for a round-the-world auto tour, but it never materialized. In 1913, his health failing, he died at the young age of 30 in his home state of Washington.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Crocker, Sewall K. 1883 births 1913 deaths American male cyclists Sportspeople from Tacoma, Washington American automotive pioneers