White House Crashers — From The FDR Administration

We were delighted to learn this morning – courtesy of Henry Morgenthau III, son of Franklin Roosevelt’s Treasury Secretary – that Tarek and Michaele Salahi were hardly the first to crash a White House event (assuming that’s what they did). Ever hear the escapades of 16-year-old Joe Measell? Or his date, Beatrice White? We hadn’t either. Morgenthau writes in The New York Times about New Year's Eve, 1938. Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt were hosting friends in the residence. Measell, White, and Measell’s 14-year-old brother Donald had been dared to get autographs from the President and First Lady. The three teenagers turned up at the White House gate – and got in. A case of mistaken identity, apparently. Joe Measell reached the president and said, "Excuse me, Your Honor, but I'm here on a dare…and would like to have your autograph." The President was apparently unmoved; Measell was taken away. In the meantime, young Beatrice White managed to get the First Lady's autograph. Mrs. Roosevelt spoke of their "rude and unmannerly behavior", bemoaning the fact that "Behavior of this kind will make this young couple seem rather heroic." As Morgenthau writes, “In this time for change, some things have not changed very much.” The full piece HERE.