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The
egg roll holds such an important place in White House
history that no president wants to be known for canceling
it. World War I and food rationing stopped the event from
1917 to 1920. In 1942, egg rollers were sent back to the
Capitol grounds, the very place from which they had been
ousted 64 years before. World War II then completely stopped
the festivities from 1943 to 1945.
President Harry Truman did not host host an egg roll.
During 1946 and 1947, food conservation efforts caused
him to reluctantly cancel the affair. Then from 1948 through
1952, his renovation of the White House made the South
Lawn a construction zone. President Dwight D. Eisenhower
revived the tradition after its twelve-year hiatus, but
a string of his successors could not be at the White House
on Easter Monday to greet their egg roll visitors. President
Gerald Ford reinstated the presidential appearance in
1976—the first since Eisenhower had acted as host
in 1960.
Image Source: The Evening Star -
March 10, 1918 ~
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