OHM Ophthamlic Industry Historical Resource Link

http://www.opticalheritagemuseum.org
Optical Heritage Museum Web Site

Presidents Eyeglasses

US Presidents and their Eyeglasses

Franklin D. Roosevelt

Dear Mr. Whitney:

This is in response to your E-mail of March 10 about information on President Roosevelt’s eyesight for a website project for the Optical Heritage Museum.

Franklin D. Roosevelt was nearsighted and began wearing glasses while a student at Harvard which is evidenced by the following letters to his family. The letters are part of the Roosevelt Family Papers Donated by the Children here at the Library.

Letter to parents, April 10, 1900: “I … saw Dr. Morgan who examined my eyes & says I must wear glasses to prevent my getting more near sighted. I ordered a pince-nez, & spectacles, & they will be here tomorrow.” Roosevelt biographer Geoffrey Ward states that FDR bought the pince-nez “in open emulation of his Cousin Theodore.”

Letter to mother, October 26, 1903: “…saw Dr. Morgan twice about my ocular organs. He says that they are really better than they were four years ago. The reason that they have been slightly annoying at times is because my glasses have been too strong – so you see it would have been better if I had not worn them so much lately! I have ordered new lenses and sh’d get them in a few days.”

For a temporary exhibition, the museum borrowed a pince-nez that the President wore during his first inauguration on March 4, 1933. The lenses were definitely not bifocals, and photographs of the event show the President wearing the glasses throughout the day, but not when taking the oath of office or delivering the inaugural address. We may assume that his need for glasses had changed after thirty-three years

Yours sincerely,

Alycia J. Vivona
Archivist
Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library
4079 Albany Post Road Hyde Park, NY 12538

George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, JFK and...

In recent months, a number of articles have come to light about US presidents and their eyeglass choices.

The information is being shared here and hopefully will grow to include other Presidents as such information is uncovered.

George Washington

Abraham Lincoln

John F. Kennedy and his AO Glass Exec's

Other Presidents and their Eyeglasses

Antiquespectacles.com - Famous people wearing glasses

AO Technical Publications on OHM website

Lens Materials- History of CR39