Throughout his legendary music career, Frank Sinatra performed several times at the White House. On April 17, 1973, Sinatra performed at a State Dinner for Prime Minister Giulio Andreotti of Italy. President Nixon introduced Sinatra as “a man whose parents were born in Italy but yet from humble beginnings went to the very top in entertainment.” The singer was so stirred by the ovation he received that he was moved to tears. That night Sinatra sang many of his hits including Josef Myrow and Mack Gordon’s “You Make Me Feel So Young”; Bart Howard’s “Fly Me to the Moon”; and Harold Arlen and Ted Koehler’s “I’ve Got the World on a String.” Sinatra took the evening’s dinner menu, his place card, and matchbook as souvenirs.¹

Sinatra, along with Perry Como, performed at another Italian State Dinner, this time on March 25, 1982, in honor of Italian President Alessandro Pertini. Barbara Sinatra, Frank’s wife, wore a green, white, and red dress, calling them her “Italian colors.” After the musical performance, guests, including San Francisco 49ers quarterback Joe Montana crowded the stage requesting autographs. Before signing, Sinatra humorously said to Montana, “Oh Joe, are you kidding?”²

Later that year, Frank Sinatra sang with First Lady Nancy Reagan at the “To Love a Child” event. Hosted on the South Lawn of the White House, this event promoted the Foster Grandparent program, emblematic of the many causes First Lady Nancy Reagan embraced in support of young people across the country. Sinatra, accompanied by the D.C. City-Wide Chorus, performed the specially written song “To Love a Child.” One of the foster grandparents at the event remarked before Sinatra came on that “I can’t wait to see ol’ blue eyes. . . He sure can sing.”³