Rep. Roger Williams, R-Texas, has met every U.S. president since Harry Truman. However, one handshake remains etched in his memory from a fall morning in 1963.
It was a drizzly morning in Fort Worth when Williams and his mother were escorted by Secret Service members from the ballroom to a holding room inside the Hotel Texas. First lady Jacqueline Kennedy entered first, greeted them, and stood right next to him. Moments later, President John F. Kennedy came around the corner, shook Williams’ hand and complimented them. Shortly after the encounter, Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas.
On a day devoid of photographs, Williams, now 74, shared some of the poignant memories with NBC News. How did the young Williams come to meet the president of the United States? His father, a well-connected car dealer in Fort Worth, asked Texas Democrat Jim Wright if his wife and son could meet the president when Kennedy made a visit to the city. After the request was granted, the Williams family prepared to greet the president.
The president’s speech that day at the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce breakfast planted a seed of inspiration in Williams. That day, the agenda went astray when the news of Kennedy’s assassination reached Arlington Heights High School, revealing a world in chaos. Oswald, a primary suspect in the assassination, was a forgotten former student of the school. This marked a time of monumental change in Williams’ life.
Despite Kennedy not being the first president Williams had met, the encounter was unforgettable and life-changing. Subsequently, he met many other U.S. presidents, such as Harry Truman and Richard Nixon. Williams played a round of golf with Gerald Ford and met Ronald Reagan during one of his election campaign stops in Texas. He even managed to meet President Joe Biden at the 2021 Congressional Baseball Game at Nationals Park. Despite the multitude of encounters, the handshake with John F. Kennedy remains deeply significant to Williams.
“I’ve shook the hand of every president since Harry Truman,” Williams said, “and people will tell you there’s not many people out there that can say that.”
CORRECTION: : An earlier version of this article misstated Rep. Roger Williams’ age. He is 74, not 73.
