Presidential Underwear - Update

In past postings, I have reported on news reports, historic perspectives, and anecdotes about U.S. Presidents who have worn union suits. I've surmised that possibly as early as Abraham Lincoln through at least George H.W. Bush and all those in between have worn one-piece long underwear.

A few years back, John F. Kennedy's union suit was once again sold at auction through Heritage Auctions. JFK was no stranger in wearing one-piece, button down, flap in the rear long underwear, especially on those famous cool weather boating expeditions off the family compound in Hyannis Port, Mass.

 

Here's his union suit story in photographs as reported in the news...

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to Enlarge for Easier Reviewing 

Jackie wraps JFK's union suits around wedding gifts she sold 

after only one year of marriage to the senator. That made news!

You read that correctly. Not long ago you could have purchased 

one of JFK's union suits for a mere $280,000 on Ebay. Sold as:

 "President JFK's Famous Personal Long Johns...One of A Kind - Very Rare." 

Now, that's some expensive underwear!  

The first inkling I had of JFK and his penchant for union suit underwear was discussed in my posting in this blog on May 26, 2016. Calvin Coolidge,a distant relative of mine and pictured here as a derby hat wearing young man who wore union suits, was also featured in that first Presidential Underwear posting, the first of several stories of U.S. presidents who favored long, one-piece underwear. In fact, the very first time Calvin Coolidge's future wife, Grace, saw him, the future president was wearing only long underwear. While Grace stood outside watering flowers, Calvin, a young lawyer, stood in front of an open window, shaving, while wearing only his union suit as well as a derby hat in order to keep hair out of this eyes. Coolidge also reportenly roamed the halls of the white house as president, late at night, wearing only his long union suit underwear. 

The second posting of Presidential Underwear was about Abraham Lincoln and whether or not he wore union suits 

which at the time had not been mass produced. I posted this on July 27, 2016. 

I featured Abe again in a Just For Laughs entry on February 11, 2019: 

Other Presidents and their Union Suits, such as U.S. Grant and Teddy Roosevelt along with his four sons were presented in their long underwear in a September 21, 2021 Post:

The last posting of Presidential Underwear was a return to the discussion of Abe and a couple of his sons

 in their mid-1800's long underwear, posted October 19, 2021.

Union Suits or Undershirt and separate Drawers?

  

To view these past Presidential Postings search 

Presidential Underwear in Union Suit Fan.