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Image courtesy of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum.
Image courtesy of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum.
Cuff Links Gang Cocktail Shaker
Image courtesy of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum.
Image courtesy of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum.

Cuff Links Gang Cocktail Shaker

Artifact IDMO 2008.12.4
Object Type Shaker, Cocktail
Maker (American, founded 1869)
Maker (American, 1898 - 1983)
Date1924
Mediummetal (steel ?, silver plate), bark (cork)
Dimensionsoverall (diameter at base) H 10 in x W 6 1/2 in x D 4 1/2 in x Diam 3 3/8 in (25.4 cm x 16.5 cm x 11.4 cm x 8.6 cm )
Physical DescriptionA commemorative silver-plated cocktail shaker. The shaker has removable cap (a) made of cork and topped with a silver-plated knob handle. The shaker itself (b) has a spout for pouring and a handle. Engraved on the side of the shaker is an octagon in which is an inscription that reads: FELLOWSHIP / DESERVES / REUNION / JANUARY TWENTY SEVEN / NINETEEN TWENTY FOUR. On each side of the octagon are engraved initials (from top going counterclockwise):
T.L. [Thomas Lynch]
S.T.E. [Stephen Early]
M.H.Mc.I. [Marvin McIntyre]
R.F.C. [Renah F. Camalier]
C.H.Mc.C. [Charles H. McCarthy]
K.L.S [Kirke L. Simpson]
S.P. [Stanley Prenosil]

Stamped on the underside of the shaker is the manufacturers' information: MERIDEN S. P. CO. / INTERNATIONAL S. CO. / 313.
Historical NoteWhen Franklin Roosevelt ran as the Democratic Party’s candidate for Vice President of the United States in 1920, he assembled a seven-man campaign staff to assist him. Though Roosevelt and his running mate James Cox were defeated in that election, FDR maintained close ties to his staff. That Christmas, he presented each staffer with a set of gold Tiffany cufflinks engraved with the man’s initials on one button and FDR’s initials on the other. The members of the group came to be known as the “Cuff Links Gang” and they subsequently gathered for a reunion every year on FDR’s birthday—January 30th. Most of the initials engraved on this cocktail shaker – likely a birthday gift to FDR from the group – can be identified as members of the “Cuff Links Gang.”

FDR regularly used this cocktail shaker during the evening cocktail hour, a ritual he maintained during his presidency when he relaxed with family and friends. Government talk was forbidden and the President always mixed the drinks. He called these gatherings "the children's hour."
Additional Details
Custodial History NoteLent to the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum by Curtis Roosevelt in 2006. It was donated as a gift from Roosevelt to the Library in 2007.
Credit LineGift of Curtis Roosevelt
National Archives Catalog CollectionFranklin D. Roosevelt Library Museum Collection (National Archives Identifier 735948)
National Archives Catalog SeriesPersonal Possessions of the Roosevelt Family (National Archives Identifier 782689)
Use Restriction StatusUnrestrictedCopyrightReproduction or other use of these holdings or images thereof is unrestricted.
In Collection(s)
Not on view
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