The Saratoga Style Walk - Theodore Roosevelt
TR was 23 years old when he was elected to the New York State Assembly from the Silk-Stocking District. He had thoughts of becoming an attorney but really wanted to get into politics. At the time that politics was an occupation for the tuffs and not for a gentleman.
Roosevelt had graduated from Harvard; he'd just married his sweetheart Alice Hathaway Lee and was newly elected to the State Assembly. He came from money and while you wouldn't expect it from the plainly dressed TR as an adult, as a young man TR had a sense of style and fashion. He was cutting edge, avant-garde. Part of the latest style was in the gait. It was known as “The Saratoga Style Walk” that was made famous by Groucho Marx.
It may be hard to picture Roosevelt walking like Groucho, but when he entered the assembly for the first time members looked at TR and asked, “who's the dude?” “Theodore Roosevelt,” was the answer.
He came to town sporting a monocle, tails, a silk top hat, and a walking cane with a gold handle. Theodore Roosevelt was a Dandy, and the press ate it up.
When politics was made of horse car conductors and saloonkeepers reporters had a field day with Roosevelt's high moral standards, fairness and clean living.
