10/19/2026
The first inauguration had a dress code. Washington set it himself. April 30, 1789. The first president took the oath in New York, dressed in brown broadcloth woven in Hartford, Connecticut. It was a deliberate choice. Washington wanted American cloth and chased it for months, letter by letter, until a young Hartford mill delivered. A newspaper at the time said the cloth was so finely finished that people assumed it was imported. The Hartford mill didnโt last. Most didnโt. A few never stopped. American Mills. Made to Order.