Who is commonly called the “Father of Route 66”?

Cyrus Avery is commonly called the “Father of Route 66.”

Avery was an Oklahoma businessman and highway advocate who played a central role in creating the U.S. numbered highway system and securing the Chicago-to-Los Angeles route that became U.S. Route 66. He served on the Joint Board on Interstate Highways, which developed the national numbering plan in the 1920s.

Avery strongly supported an east–west highway through Oklahoma and the southern Plains. His efforts helped connect local and regional roads into a nationally recognized route.

John Steinbeck helped popularize Route 66’s literary image, and Will Rogers became associated with one of the highway’s later nicknames. Neither is generally credited with founding the route. Avery’s planning and advocacy earned him the “Father of Route 66” title used by historians and preservation groups.