WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. hosted National Seersucker Day today alongside Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA). Members of the U.S. Senate participating in this year’s celebration include Senators Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Deb Fischer (R-NE), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Roger Wicker (R-MS), Raphael Warnock (D-GA), Tommy Tuberville (R-AL), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Susan Collins (R-ME), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Roger Marshall (R-KS), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), and Joni Ernst (R-IA).
“Today, we celebrate National Seersucker Day. The seersucker suit is a uniquely American and beloved New Orleans invention,” said Dr. Cassidy. “It’s an honor to continue National Seersucker Day alongside my colleagues including California Senator Dianne Feinstein.”
“Every summer the Senate recognizes National Seersucker Day, a decades-long tradition. I was happy to again join Senator Cassidy in leading our colleagues in this bipartisan celebration of American culture and Senate history,” said Senator Feinstein.
Seersucker suits were popularized by a New Orleans businessman in the early 1900s. Former U.S. Senator Trent Lott (R-MS) brought Seersucker Thursday to Congress in 1996. After the tradition went unobserved in 2012 and 2013, Dr. Cassidy revived National Seersucker Day in the U.S. House of Representatives in 2014 and has continued the tradition in the Senate with the help of Senator Feinstein.
Cassidy entered the following statement establishing the eighth annual National Seersucker Day into the Congressional Record:
Mr. President, today I rise in recognition of seersucker manufacturers and enthusiasts across the United States. I wish everyone a Happy National Seersucker Day. This uniquely American fashion has a storied history dating back to 1909. The first seersucker suit was designed by Joseph Haspel at his Broad Street facility in New Orleans, LA. Louisiana is proud to have played an important part in introducing the country to seersucker apparel.
This lightweight cotton fabric, known for its signature pucker, has been worn and enjoyed by Americans across the country during the hot summer months. Mr. Haspel said it best: “Hot is hot, no matter what you do for a living.”
In the 1990s, Seersucker Day was established by Members of this Chamber to honor this unique American fashion. I proudly resumed this tradition in 2014 in the U.S. House of Representatives and continued this tradition in the U.S. Senate. This year, I wish to designate Thursday, June 17, as the eighth annual National Seersucker Day. I encourage everyone to wear seersucker on this day to commemorate this traditionally American clothing.
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