Who were the 1st President and First Lady to wear what we’d recognize as modern undergarments?
Most fashion historians consider it to be Abraham Lincoln but that was an unusual case.
Is this about presidential underwear choices specifically or about the modern history of undergarments in general? I could easily believe Teddy Roosevelt went commando for instance but the people around him usually didn’t. Also, what is modern underwear? Reagan probably sported a few sets of men’s bikinis based on when he was in office and his previous Hollywood lifestyle but you don’t see those around as much anymore.
Modern underwear=what you can buy in a modern department store
Well, the default men’s underwear in the late 19th century was the Union Suit. It wasn’t until around 1910 that it was split into two garments, and the “Modern” style of men’s underwear was introduced by Jockey in the 1930s. It’s hard to tell who might have been the first to switch over – FDR? Truman? – but it would have to be after then.
Truman would be a reasonable guess. He ran a men’s clothing store early in his life so he presumedly would have been a little more fashion conscious than the average President.