Did Roosevelt say, “Good to the Last Drop..?”
When I asked, Heather Cole, the brilliant former curator of the Theodore Roosevelt Collection at Harvard’s Houghton Library told me TR stopped at Nashville in October 1907, but there’s no reliable evidence he ever uttered the phrase “Good to the last Drop.’”
Heather may be right, and a lot of historians agree, but there is a twist and here goes. Robert H. “Bob” White was a student who was there, and he said he heard Roosevelt say, “Good to the last Drop.” White went on to earn his doctorate at Vanderbilt and became the first Tennessee State Historian. He held that position for 15 years and became president of the Tennessee State Historical Society.
Whatever you want to believe one thing is for sure, TR didn’t invent the slogan. It was an advertising catch phrase used by Coca Cola. According to Coca Cola their advertisers The D’Arcy Agency came up with “Good to the last Drop” in 1907. If you use a little Kentucky Windage, you might say the phrase was new enough for TR to use without thinking. Whatever the case Maxwell House waited for Coca Cola to drop the phrase before they began using the slogan that appeared prominantly in their hotel advertising. When General Foods took over the Maxwell House brand “Good to the las drop” became a national campaign. It remains a registered trademark and appears on their logo.
One of the controversies surrounding the event is a newspaper article in the Nashville Banner that quotes Roosevelt saying, “This is the kind of stuff I like to drink, by George, when I hunt bears.” It’s a great quote. It’s alive with action and sportsmanship. It was the way Roosevelt spoke and the way America saw Roosevelt. You could picture him saying that. TR was our presidential big game hunter whose adventures catapulted the Teddy Bear into becoming the nation’s best-selling toy. What reporter wouldn’t put that quote in print, but that doesn’t mean that was the only thing Roosevelt said. It simply means that was the only thing that reporter heard or chose to quote. “Good to the last Drop” doesn’t connect Roosevelt with anything swashbuckling; it connects him to a Coca Cola ad. Not a lot of resemblance to the Jackson spirit in that.
History is all about people and personalities and events that need to be studied in their own time. Roosevelt didn’t invent “Speak softly and carry a big stick.” Roosevelt took that from the McGuffey Reader. In 1912 when TR was asked how he felt about running as a progressive he said, “I feel as fit as a Bull Moose.” Was that directed at the campaign, or Robert Lafollette?
Did Roosevelt say “Good to the Last Drop” or is like Babe Ruth's “Called Shot;” in the 5th inning of game 3 against pitcher Charlie Root of the Chicago Cubs in the 1932 World Series? Was he promising a home run or just gesturing to the fans or the Chicago dugout who were on Ruth's case and getting on his nerves.
Personally, I'm not sure. Some days I'm more inclined to believe he said it; other days I have my doubts and go with this is the kind of coffee I like to drink hunting bears. Then again…..
