Washington D.C.’s Royal Command

     “Invitations issued by Mrs. McKinley take precedence over all other invitations” –The 25th President of the United States, William McKinley and his wife, Ida Saxton McKinley

 

Invitations to the McKinley White House Akin to Royal Command 

The newspapers ridicule the new rules of etiquette at the White House, saying that President McKinley’s protocol will soon rival President Faures, who has long been taunted with adopting monarchial airs.

Vanity Fair, quoting the rule be ginning “Invitations issued by Mrs. McKinley take precedence over all other invitations” says: “Such rules prove that under the stars and stripes it is quite possible to be plus royaliste que le roi (more royalist than the King). We wonder what Lincoln would have said to any officious under-strapper suggesting such rules?” – Morning Union, 1898

🍽️Etiquette Enthusiast, Maura J. Graber, is the Site Editor for the Etiquipedia© Etiquette Encyclopedia

White House Etiquette and Teas

Ida Saxton McKinley was the wife of the 25th U.S. President, William McKinley

White House etiquette permits that Mrs. McKinley hold informal receptions on Saturday afternoons. The President is not in evidence at the pleasant gatherings, nor do the cabinet ladies assist as at more stately functions. During her long residence in Washington as a congressman's wife, Mrs. McKinley made many friends outside the exclusive circle to which she is now largely confined. Many of these old acquaintances drink tea with the “first lady in the land” at the Saturday afternoon receptions. – Los Angeles Herald, 1899

Etiquette Enthusiast, Maura J. Graber, is the Site Editor for the Etiquipedia© Etiquette Encyclopedia