Horatio Nelson Jackson

Horatio Nelson Jackson was a Canadian-American physician, Army medical officer and businessman who became the first person to drive an automobile across the United States. In 1903, accompanied by his hired mechanic and driving partner Sewall K. Crocker, he drove a Winton automobile from San Francisco to New York City, with additional miles added to reach his home in Vermont, completing a journey that proved a gasoline automobile could cross the continent under its own power at a time when reliable long distance motoring was still unproven. He later served in the First World War and became a key organizer of the American Legion, where he held the position of Vice Commander. Away from his automotive achievement he owned the Burlington Daily News, served as president of the Burlington Trust Bank, and owned the area's first local radio station, WCAX. He was nicknamed The Mad Doctor. Jackson was born on March 25, 1872 and died on January 14, 1955. His cross country drive is remembered as one of the founding stunts of American automobile touring.