Narrow Shoes in History!

A President, a First Lady and a Princess all wore shoes in narrow widths!

 

Narrow Shoes Fit for a President

William Dudley, an immigrant shoemaker, established his footwear business in the basement of his Newark, New Jersey home in 1850, it was later to be called Johnston & Murphy. That year he offered to craft a pair of shoes for President Millard Fillmore. The President graciously accepted, and a tradition was born.  It was the  start of a tradition that has lasted for more than 150 years.  

Find Narrow Johnston and Murphy shoes in your narrow size here!

The tradition continues even today.  In fact, President Obama received two pair from Johnston and Murphy!  Read on to find which former President’s boots one pair was modeled after….

More Presidential Footwear facts from Johnston & Murphy:

*Herbert Hoover requested his shoes in a size 11.5AA, the narrowest Johnston & Murphy has ever created for a president.

 

• Abraham Lincoln had the largest foot of any U.S. president, wearing a size 14 shoe. This was Johnston & Murphy’s largest documented shoe produced since the company began its presidential footwear program.
• Ulysses S. Grant requested knee-high riding boots. Johnston & Murphy still has the original last, the wooden frames that help determine the shape and size of shoes, used to make President Grant’s boots.
• Rutherford B. Hayes wore size 7.   He had the smallest foot of any U.S. president.
• Before being assassinated in 1881, James Garfield selected a pair of black plain toe boots.
• Grover Cleveland, Woodrow Wilson, Franklin Roosevelt and Harry Truman, wore a size 9.
• In 1901, Teddy Roosevelt requested cap toe, lace-up chukka boots, he wore a size 9.5D.
• Woodrow Wilson requested size 9 white buckskin cap toe lace-ups, better known as “bucks.” They’re making a comeback!
• Harry Truman was the first president to select a true classic, a size 9 black cap toe. This timeless oxford has also been the choice of many other presidents, including Dwight Eisenhower (10.5), Ronald Reagan (10.5), George H. W. Bush (11), Bill Clinton (13) and George W. Bush (10.5).
• John F. Kennedy selected a traditional black wingtip in size 10.
• Richard Nixon followed in Kennedy’s “footsteps” by making the same selection.  Nixon wore his shoes so often he sent them back to Johnston & Murphy to be re-soled.
• Lyndon Johnson needed specially designed shoes to accommodate the difference between his right foot (11C) and his left foot (11.5C). During his presidency, Johnston & Murphy made several pairs of shoes for him.
• Gerald Ford’s selection of a size 10D slip-on, tassel chukka boot crafted from soft, brown leather.  They were a sign of the times. Style trends in the 70s, even in the White House, had changed from the traditions of the 40s, 50s and 60s.
• When Bill Clinton won the election in 1993, Johnston & Murphy crafted him size 13D classic black cap toe lace-ups, as well as a pair of blue suede shoes in recognition of his love of playing the saxophone.
• In 2001, President George W. Bush received a dress oxford – in a size 10.5E, very similar to his father’s selection in 1989.
• In addition to the size 12 black runoff oxfords handcrafted for President Obama in 2009, Johnston & Murphy also fashioned a pair of boots inspired by the pair the company custom-made for Abraham Lincoln in 1861.

Source — Johnston & Murphy Web Site

  

Narrow Shoes Fit For a First Lady