Beginning with George Washington, who tarried for a week in 1790 at Mrs. Almy's boardinghouse, 17 U.S. Presidents have taken their ease amid the salt air and rarefied society of Newport, R.I. So upper-crusty was Newport in the old days that, according to local legend. President Millard Fillmore was snubbed not only by the town's residents but by its footmen as well. Last week John Kennedy, enjoying the first real rest of his nine months in office, became Newport's 18th resident President.
Newport is not what it once was. Although the massive, gingerbread homes of the opulent are still there, tourism...