an infamous evening. April 1932. The National govs conference had been in Richmond and Hoover invited them up for a fancy dinner.
As on most formal occasions, it was up to Eleanor to hold up FDR. No mean feat. He was not only a big guy - 6'2", but top heavy. It came in handy that Eleanor was so big - 6 feet. As the govs and their wives lined up to be received by Hoover - Hoover showed up 45 minutes late. During this ordeal, White House staffers, noticing that the Roosevelts were sweating like NBA players at the foul line, periodically offered FDR a chair, which he declined so as not to look weak and also to keep folks from seeing how awkward it was for him to go from standing to sitting while in leg braces. They left the White House in a lather of sweat and anger. Eleanor noted that it seemed as though they'd been deliberately put through an ordeal.
The following photo appears to be just prior to the 45 minute wait: