Alice Roosevelt Longworth? Bettina Borrmann Wells? Apocryphal? Anonymous?
Dear Quote Investigator: Alice Roosevelt Longworth was the daughter of Theodore Roosevelt and the wife of politician Nicholas Longworth III. For decades she was a well-known socialite in Washington D.C. who experienced praise and condemnation for her sharp wit which was sometimes caustic. Calvin Coolidge who became the U.S. President in 1923 occasionally displayed a sour disposition. Longworth apparently told a journalist:
Coolidge was weaned on a pickle.
Did she actually say this? Did she originate this insult?
Quote Investigator: There is substantive evidence that Longworth did make a remark of this type in 1924; however, she disclaimed its creation in her 1933 autobiography. In addition, the core of the insult was circulating by the 1860s. See the details provided below via selected citations in chronological order.
Continue reading The Only Trouble With Coolidge Is That He Was Weaned on a Pickle