His peculiarities of dress have been, I think, much exaggerated by
common gossip. He wanted his clothes made big and easy, and he wore them
a long time and somewhat negligently, but that was because he had other
things to mind and not in the least because he affected singularity. I
was with him a good deal as a boy and as a young man and I am sure he
spoke truly when in response to some friendly advice concerning these
matters, he said "I buy good cloth, go to a good tailor and pay a good
price, and that is all I can do about it."
The popular phrase about Greeley's old white coat had some foundation in
fact, but not much. He did wear a light drab overcoat when I first saw
him, with the full pockets spreading out on each side. As it suited him
he wore it many years afterward, and when it was quite worn out he had
another one made just like it which he wore many years more. I doubt if
he ever had more than two of these famous garments, but it is true that
these two, always supposed to be the same old white coat, were known all
over the Northern part of the country.
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