Outlandish Stories from Inside the Executive Mansion

Outlandish Stories from Inside the Executive Mansion

Steve - August 6, 2019

Outlandish Stories from Inside the Executive Mansion
Official Portrait of President Ronald Reagan (c. 1981). Wikimedia Commons.

10. President Ronald Reagan reputedly disliked wearing clothes and would frequently be naked whilst in the private residence

A renowned workaholic, persisting well into the early hours of the morning, during his tenure as the 40th President of the United States Ronald Reagan had a similarly strong penchant for not wearing clothes. A famous encounter retold since, Ivaniz Silva, a maid at the White House, once walked in on Reagan in his bedroom whilst he was sitting reading official papers in the nude. This incident, according to historian Kate Anderson Brower, was not unique, detailing an array of comparable instances. One such incredible account, provided by Skip Allen, an usher in the White House, offers insight into the unusual lives of staff in the presidential home circa 1981.

Tasked with delivering a top-secret document to the commander-in-chief in the private residence, Allen knocked on the door and was replied with permission to enter. However, upon entering, he found his head of state getting out of the shower completely naked and unashamedly unabashed. Quickly leaving, Allen returned that evening to deliver another document to find Reagan, once again, improperly dressed to receive. Admonished this time by his wife, Nancy, who allegedly decried “Oh, Ronnie, you could put on a robe”, Reagan quipped in response “Oh, it’s alright. He’s already seen me naked once today. We’re old friends”.

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