“He’s a wonderful man,” said one caller. “When I went to see him [Roosevelt], he got up, shook hands with me and said, ‘So glad to see you. Delighted. Good day, sir, good day.’ Then he ushered me to the door. I wonder what I wanted to see him about.” – From Edmund Morris’ The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt
Today, June 6th 2015, is #NationalHandshakeDay. I don’t know how this day came to be a national celebration, but I like it! It may sound strange to say this, but we simply don’t touch each other as much as we ought to. The handshake, especially between men, is one of the strongest elements of a first-impression that we can give. It signifies our own strength while recognizing and experiencing the strength in another fellow. In those firm 3 seconds a lot can be learned about a man.
No President, and possibly no man, has a more well-regarded reputation for the handshake than Theodore Roosevelt. Though he had smaller hands than the average man, there was a lot of power in his grip. Every person Roosevelt met was greeted with a firm and enthusiastic handshake.
- #TRThursday articles give us some manly insight and wisdom from Theodore Roosevelt every Thursday. Sometimes a quote, sometimes a snippet of his life...always manly! Read other TRThursday articles here. -
Roosevelt Shakes 8,000 Hands in 3 Hours
It was New Year’s Day, 1907. According to Edmund Morris in The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt, the President invited “all citizens who are sober, washed, and free of bodily advertising,” to come and meet him. Though it was January, the weather was perfect, and citizens, men, women, and children of all ages, lined up at the White House and waited their turn.
In the course of 3 hours, Roosevelt shook 8,150 hands, an average of 45 hands a minute!
Roosevelt Shaking Hands
To put you in the handshaking mood appropriate for #NationalHandshakeDay or, any other day, here are some pictures of Roosevelt gathered from around the web, shaking hands and baring those brilliant teeth.
(Click on an image to view the larger slide show)
Now get out there and shake some hands!