Contributing Writer
BROOKLINE – In 1903, Massachusetts and Missouri were the very first states to require drivers obtain a driver’s license. That same year, the first license plate issued by a state government was issued to wealthy car enthusiast Frederick Tudor of Brookline. A nephew of magnate and founder of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Henry Lee Higginson, Tudor was working with the highway commission and persuaded the State Automobile Department to introduce mandatory state-issued license plates.
Registering early automobiles
Meanwhile, Higginson grew tired of people speeding on the roads near his summer estate and petitioned for drivers and vehicles to be registered. Having connections to high places paid off and an “automobile department” was created, requiring all drivers to register their vehicles and pay a $2 fee for state-issued license plates…