Jefferson by John B. Boles

Author:John B. Boles [Boles, John B.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Basic Books
Published: 2017-04-24T23:00:00+00:00

JEFFERSON’S SCHOLARLY AND unfailingly polite personal style enabled him to maintain a cabinet of unusual stability and effectiveness, and he also proved a master of congressional politics through a combination of personal charm, conversational virtuosity, and the delights of his table.42 It helped that he genuinely enjoyed living in the District of Columbia; he called the President’s House “a very agreeable country residence” and described the small town—its population in 1800 was a mere 3,210—as “free from the noise, the heat, the stench, & the bustle of a close built town.” Not every resident found the new capital to their liking, however.43

Washington was surely the most unprepossessing capital in the Western world, with its muddy streets interrupted by tree stumps, total absence of great merchant houses, thriving businesses, theaters, and music halls, and lack of the polish and splendor of Philadelphia, much less of London or Paris. It was a dreary place. Most members of Congress only stayed in the “city” for the few months that Congress was in session, leaving their families behind in their hometowns. The congressmen (their numbers grew from 141 to 176 over the course of Jefferson’s two terms) mainly lived in boardinghouses, with members from the two parties tending to live separately. No doubt boardinghouse conversation soon became routine, if not boring, and the food was often greasy and monotonous.

In this context an invitation to dine at the President’s House was a signal attraction. (Though coated with lime-based whitewash in 1798, the sandstone building was not yet called the White House.) When Congress was in session, Jefferson usually hosted three dinners a week, with the number invited to each ranging from eight to perhaps fifteen; a dozen was normal. Jefferson selected the guests with care, finding that a successful evening required that all be of the same party.44 He often invited nonpoliticians and ensured that every visitor felt completely welcome. Dinner began at 3:30 p.m. The guests ate at a long, oval table, seated randomly, not by level of distinction.

The food, paired with selections from his unparalleled wine cellar, reflected Jefferson’s love of French cuisine—as Margaret Bayard Smith aptly put it, “Republican simplicity was united to Epicurean delicacy.”45 Waiters placed the hot dishes of food in dumbwaiters near the table just before the guests were seated, for Jefferson liked to put the food on the guests’ plates himself.46 And while simple, the menu was remarkably abundant.47

Jefferson had a way of putting everyone at ease. His breadth of knowledge allowed him to talk intelligently with all of his guests, and he had a particular knack for reaching out to newcomers, or those who were shy, and easing them into the general conversation. He never dominated the talk, but he shaped the discussion, and though it was never directly about politics or legislation, Jefferson adroitly made his positions known in a manner both nonintimidating and persuasive. Dressing casually to make his guest feel at home, if not unguarded, Jefferson, with his unrivaled gifts as host, made every dinner seem, and every guest feel, special.

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