PRESIDENT 'BRISKLY' WALKS 2 MILES IN STEADY DOWNPOUR
Washington, D.C. (JFK+50) On August 17, 1923, President Calvin Coolidge took his customary stroll in a "steady downfall of rain."
The Evening Star reports the President departed the Willard Hotel "shortly after 6:30 o'clock and walked a distance of nearly two miles."
Mr. Coolidge walked briskly without benefit of an umbrella or overcoat. The Star says he "seemed to enjoy himself despite the rain."
The President took a different route on his rain-soaked sojourn this morning walking out onto 14th Street to Thomas Circle*, turning on Mass Ave, south on 11th to New York Ave and then back on the Willard on Pennsylvania Ave.
Two secret service agents accompanied the Chief Executive. One of the agents, who had protected Theodore Roosevelt, said that Mr. Coolidge's gait sometimes matched that of the old Rough Rider.
*Thomas Circle is a traffic circle located in Northwest Washington, D.C. at the intersection of Mass Ave NW, Vermont Ave NW, 14th St NW & M St NW. TC is named for George H. Thomas, Union general in the Civil War.
SOURCE
"President Walks 2 Miles in Rain At Break of Day," The Evening Star, Washington, D.C., August 17, 1923, Chronicling America, Library of Congress, www.loc.gov/
