Researchers at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library have discovered a cache of letters sent to Kennedy from Americans who were displeased with the new president’s embrace of booze, the AP reported.
The letters began arriving in 1961, after newspapers began reporting on Kennedy’s first official event as president, which was a reception honoring his new appointees, where liquor and wine were being served in the State Dining Room.
“For the first time, there was a bar in the State Dining Room, with waiters to stir up martinis or pour vodka, Scotch, bourbon, or champagne,” The Washington Post reported.
WASHINGTON, : Afghan King Mohammad Zahir Shah (L) talks with US President John F. Kennedy in the car that takes them to the White House 08 September 1963 in Washington. (AFP/AFP via Getty Images)
Following the event, Kennedy, the country’s first Roman Catholic President and the youngest to have ever been elected, received letters expressing concern that the White House would devolve into drunken debauchery.
“Dear Mr. President, I think many feel humiliation and disgrace over our nation today when we learn of our White House turned into shameful drunken all-night carousal and dancing,” reads one letter from Edith Fritz, of Idaho. “Dignity previously engendered — gone. May God have pity upon your poor soul.”
“Our nation was founded by men of Christian ideals. Let’s keep it that way,” reads another from Ruby Turner, of Dunkerton, Iowa.
Kennedy is said to have liked daiquiris and Bloody Marys, and opted for Heineken sometimes, which was considered a luxury when he was in office because it wasn’t yet widely imported, according to the Daily Meal.
President Donald Trump has said he doesn’t drink alcohol, and Democratic Presidential Nominee Joe Biden also abstains, citing alcoholism in his family. (RELATED: Donald Trump Says ‘Regret’ Over Alcoholic Brother’s Death Allows Him To Understand The Opioid Crisis)