The Greek Peanut Vendor of the White House

“Steve” Vasilakes’ concern code was “1732 Pennsylvania Avenue”. Credit: Library of Congress

A Greek peanut vendor who acceptable store extracurricular the White House became celebrated successful the US successful the archetypal fractional of the 20th century.

Nicholas Stefanos “Steve” Vasilakes emigrated from Ligerea, Laconia, Greece, to the United States successful 1910 and soon thereafter acceptable up his blistery peanuts and caller popped popcorn cart connected what really was White House property.

He listed his concern code arsenic “1732 Pennsylvania Avenue” and reporters observed helium came to correspond the “little man” successful America.

Greek peanut vendor astatine the White House gave to charity

He was described arsenic a “burly, fierce mustached Greek” and during World War I helium boldly advertised connected a hand-painted motion connected his cart that connected specified weeks helium donated each of his proceeds to the Red Cross.

Vasilakes became 1 of the astir generous idiosyncratic givers to that foundation and gained wide publicity for his patriotism.

Vasilakes sold peanuts to Presidents William Howard Taft, Woodrow Wilson and Warren Harding, but his champion lawsuit was President Coolidge who came to bargain peanuts, munch, and speech to the vendor connected the thoroughfare astir each day.

President Coolidge referred to the vendor arsenic his “contact man” with the American people.

When the District of Columbia Metropolitan constabulary attempted to region the peanut and popcorn cart from East Executive Avenue arsenic a postulation menace, the president allowed the vendor to determination his cart onto the sidewalk.

When asked astir his relationship with Coolidge aft his decease successful 1933, Vasilakes noted successful halting English: “He speech astir everything. Politics, I deliberation no. About everything good. Good business, bully prices. Everything get better. Good man.”

In 1934, a nationalist ligament communicative reported that the Park Police wanted Vasilakes to region his cart from the East Executive Avenue sidewalk to easiness postulation congestion, but interceded to let him to stay.

The property reported that helium became a United States national successful 1938 and owed to his accent and personage had a ceremonial written connection disposable arsenic a handout for the press.

And connected the day of Sunday 7 December the “little man” was livid. When the newsman from Washington’s Evening Star paper arrived extracurricular the White House en way to a property conference, hastily called aft quality broke of the Japanese onslaught connected Pearl Harbor, helium recovered an agitated Vasilakes.

“Steve was excessively excited to speech clearly,” wrote the reporter. “And astir each helium could accidental was: ‘Just 3 months, we decorativeness them.’”

Vasilakes sold $50,000 successful warfare bonds

Vasilakes had go a White House fixture and during World War II his quality to merchantability an astounding $50,000 successful warfare bonds from his cart was legendary.

Vasilakes capitalized connected the nationalist publicity helium had received and started selling bonds by message order. He began his warfare enslaved thrust connected October 28, 1942—the 2nd day of Italy’s penetration of his autochthonal Greece—with the slogan “Make a monkey retired of Mussolini.”

His archetypal lawsuit was the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Sam Rayburn. Each out-of municipality purchaser besides received a container of peanuts.

Among the flowers banked by his sedate astatine Cedar Hill Cemetery successful Washington, D.C. were sprays of reddish carnations sent by President and Mrs. Roosevelt.

After Vasilakes’s decease successful 1943 nary different peanut concession was granted connected White House grounds.

Source: The White House Historical Association