Giants of History presents Theodore Roosevelt episode number two. Welcome to Giants of History and thank you for joining us. The unforgivable crime is soft hitting. Do not hit at all if it can be avoided, but never hit softly.

Theodore Roosevelt

It was a cold and icy New York winter in January of 1882.

Having just been elected to his first political office as a New York State Assemblyman,

Roosevelt was now in Albany for the start of his first legislative session.

The session was, however, at this moment stalled due to political deadlock over who would be elected the next speaker of the House.

One especially cold evening during the deadlock, Roosevelt was walking down the street with some

fellow Assemblymen when they stopped inside a saloon for refreshments.

Roosevelt, who as we have said had become quite the dandy at this stage in his life,

was dressed in gloves and was carrying a cane.

Most noticeably though, he was wearing a type of short pea-coat

pejoratively known as a bum freezer which stood out sharply against the

standard longer overcoats most men were wearing that season.

Inside the saloon where they had stopped was a Tammany member named J.J.

Costello was a tall and intimidating man who had for some time harbored a severe dislike for Roosevelt.

He also happened to be the Democratic choice for Speaker of the House.

Kostello, upon seeing Roosevelt enter the bar, shouted an insult at him in front of the

rest of the patrons.

Costello's remark reportedly concerned the short jacket Roosevelt was wearing.

Legend has the insult as stated, quote,

won't the little mama's boy catch cold in that coat?

End quote.

...