A Brief History of Presidential Suit Jackets in the Oval Office

davepc

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Thu Jan-22-09 10:01 AM
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A Brief History of Presidential Suit Jackets in the Oval Office

Ever since the modern suit and tie has become de rigueur attire for heads of state (about the time of Teddy Roosevelt in 1901) Presidents of the United States have worn suits jackets and ties in the oval office.

Of course sometimes working at a desk all day in a suit and tie (especially in the days before air conditioning) can become uncomfortable or restrictive. So men wearing a jacket sometimes take it off. This was an accepted thing.

Early on, most Oval Office photos were set photo op meeting with heads of state or official portraits. Being formal posed photos, they consist of lots of suit jackets. Such as this one of Calvin Coolidge:

One of the first presidents to have his picture taken on a regular basis in the office while at work (as opposed to posing) was FDR. Sometimes, while in the office not interacting with staff or foreign dignitaries...FRD was know to take off his suite jacket.

Here he is giving a Radio Address sometime in the 1930s.

Now this was not particularly common, but not exactly rare. Here he is working with his suit jacket ON.

And so it went through the years. Presidents would wear suit jackets and ties in the Oval Office. Occasionally, they would take it off while at work.

Sometimes they would keep their suit jackets on as their children played at their feet.

http://www.theage.com.au/ffxImage/urlpicture_id_1069027251266_2003/11/20/21a3_jkennedy,0.jpg

Sometimes they would take it off while weighing pressing issues.

And on it went.

Ford, sans suit jacket.

Ford, sans suit!

Then something happened in the late 1970s. Jimmy Carter got elected President. Now president Carter was a man who liked to lead by example. So in the face of yet another energy crunch, Carter suggested people turn down the thermostat and wear sweaters. He started doing it himself to show that if he could do it, anybody could!

Here he is with Joe Biden!

Then along came Ronald Regan. Ronny was looking for any angle to attack Carter. He levied a whole bunch of attacks, on big policy issues and economy to the most trivial things. See, since Jimmy Carter wore a SWEATER in the Oval Office he was some sort of efemminate weak leader. Real Men (tm) wore SUIT JACKETS in the Oval Office as a SIGN OF RESPECT! Real Americans turned the damn thermostat all the way up because thats the AMERICAN WAY OF LIFE (tm).

So once Regan got himself elected he made sure to never go into the Oval Office without suit jacket. This is the start of the Oval Office suit jacket myth.

Outside the Oval Office...sure!

But inside, Jackets ONLY! Even if its an ugly piece of Hugh Hefner lougewear masquerading as a jacket.

The Oval Office was IMPORTANT! St. Ronnie said. And important places required jackets at all times. That was the law of the land.

It was so important Poppy Bush. Kept the "tradition" alive.

Then along game a upstart named Bill Clinton. See, Bill didn't buy into the Regan myth or the Regan tradition.

Mostly he wore a suit jacket and tie in the office.

Sometimes he didn't.

Sometimes he didn't even wear PANTS in the Oval office.

That was a BIG SIN to Republicans. I mean, they wore SUIT JACKETS AND TIES ALWAYS (except for the guys before Regan who didn't). Here was Bill Clinton sometimes not wearing a jacket and sometimes not wearing pants. That was a BIG SCANDLE.

Bush Jr. was going to bring "honor and respect" to the office by wearing a jacket and tie always and barring those who didn't from setting foot inside the sacred walls where St. Ronald has once spent his days not remembering things.

See, suit jackets all around.

Now, Republicans are chirping that like the man who once took off his pants in the Oval Office, the new president ON DAY ONE was spotting sans jacket, flying in the face of "tradition".

Even, of course, if he wears a suit jacket some of the time.

So what started as a cheap shot attack on Jimmy Carter has morphed into part of the Regan myth. And woe be those who thumb their noses at St. Regan. His acolytes will come with much gnashing of teeth about "disrespecting the office" not realising of course its the actions of the man in the office, not his suit jacket that give that office respect...or not.