President Franklin D. Roosevelt appointed Mayor Fiorello H. La Guardia as the National Director of the Office of Civilian Defense. The agency’s mission was to educate and prepare the public for wartime emergencies. La Guardia received this helmet as a token for his role in founding the NYC branch of the office. Mayor Fiorello H. La Guardia records, NYC Municipal Archives.
*A 3-D rendering of the helmet was created with Kling AI using multiple photos of the item.