Mighty44
Call Me a Cab
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What a weird and fascinating story this thread makes—great research, Jack. Seems likely that this was the inspiration for LBJ’s tradition of giving hats to guests.
Carter first met LBJ in 1941 & supported Johnson’s run for the Senate. Carter believed in Fort Worth first, Texas second. I’m sure Johnson learned a lot from him & modeled his early political career to align with Carter’s principals & support.What a weird and fascinating story this thread makes—great research, Jack. Seems likely that this was the inspiration for LBJ’s tradition of giving hats to guests.
$2,150 is the price (as pictured) for the hat. 2k without the BE. I haven’t bought a custom before, but seems outrageously expensive.
AND it does not even have burn holes or matchsticks in the ribbon!$2,150 is the price (as pictured) for the hat. 2k without the BE. I haven’t bought a custom before, but seems outrageously expensive.
This hat gets curiouser & curiouser: Neal Shudde,In searching for the whereabouts of this hat given to JFK at breakfast in Fort Worth the morning of his assassination I found documentation & its true identity. Claims have been made thru the yrs that it was a “Texas Hat” made by Peters Bros as a gift to the President. Doubt could be cast on that claim when the Mayor of Fort Worth, Raymond Buck credits only Washer Bros for the gift during his presentation to the President. Amon G. Carter sourced all his Stetson Shady Oak Farm hats thru Washer Bros but Carter had died in 1955. There was also the possibility that it could be a Resistol sourced by LBJ thru his friendship & political support from Harry Rolnik. LBJ had previously given JFK a Resistol on his first campaign trip to TX & the LBJ Ranch.
Officially the Fort Worth breakfast presentation hat was a gift from a member of the general public. After the assassination, along with the pink Tony Lama western boots given to the First Lady the hat was the property of the Kennedy family in the care of the General Services Administration. Today both the hat & the boots are in the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, Boston, MA, donated by the family when it opened in 1965. Currently the hat is not on display.
According to physical property records of the museum the hat is a Stetson OR Twenty-five taken out of inventory from Washer Bros:
“Grey felt cowboy hat, with cord hat band with button on top, pierced with hat pin in shape of brand "JBS" for John B. Stetson. The interior hat band has gold printing: "Washer Bros, Fort Worth/ Open Road/ Stetson Twenty Five/ John B. Stetson Company".
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https://jfk.artifacts.archives.gov/...91feb5028daebad53c6c13bd48060e4a38c0416&idx=1
Still searching for the LBJ Resistol hat.