Brooks Brothers marks 200th anniversary: Lincoln, San Juan Hill, 9/11 and Trump 

Abraham Lincoln liked to shop at Brooks Brothers, and to mark his second inauguration the clothier gave him a great-coat with the inscription "One Country, One Destiny." He was wearing the coat when he was assassinated at Ford's Theater in April 1865.

Theodore Roosevelt donned a uniform tailored by Brooks Brothers when he made the charge up San Juan Hill during the Spanish-American War.

When terrorists struck the World Trade Center in the 9/11 attacks and heavily damaged the Brooks Brothers store at Manhattan's Liberty Plaza, the location reopened a year to the day after the calamity under the chain’s new owner, Claudio Del Vecchio.

Donald Trump and Barack Obama demonstrated they agreed on something when they both wore Brooks Brothers top coats at Trump’s inauguration.

It is this sartorial tradition that Brooks Brothers is celebrating as it marks its 200th anniversary. To add a little splash, the company is planning a black-tie event on Wednesday for 1,000 of its best customers as well as celebrities at New York City's Lincoln Center.

Del Vecchio acquired Brooks Brothers in November 2001 for $225 million, about $500 million less than what the British chain Marks & Spencer paid for the company in 1988. Del Vecchio, who grew up in Milan, is part of the family that founded the Italian eyewear company Luxottica. Under his ownership, as The New York Times reported, the company has been profitable for 13 of the past 17 years. Annual sales have lately been about $1 billion, and the chain has been breaking even in a challenging environment for brick-and-mortar stores.

To take note of the occasion, FOX Business presents some selected red-letter dates in the company’s 200-year history drawn from its website.

1818: Henry Sands Brooks opens H. & D.H. Brooks & Co. at the intersection of Catherine and Cherry streets in Manhattan.

1865: Brooks Brothers gives President Abraham Lincoln a great-coat to mark his second inauguration. He wears the coat when he is assassinated at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C., two weeks later.

1898: Theodore Roosevelt wears a uniform tailored by Brooks Brothers during the historic charge up San Juan Hill during the Spanish-American War.

1915: Following the completion of Grand Central Terminal, the company relocates to 346 Madison Avenue in Manhattan, its current flagship location. 1953: Groomsmen at the wedding of Senator John F. Kennedy and Jacqueline Lee Bouvier receive Brooks Brothers umbrellas from the future president.

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1988: British retailer Marks & Spencer buys Brooks Brothers for $750 million in cash.

2001: Marks & Spencer sells Brooks Brothers for $225 million to Retail Brand Alliance, which is owned by Claudio del Vecchio, scion of the family that controls Luxottica, the upscale eyewear company.

2002: A year to the day after the Liberty Plaza store in Lower Manhattan is heavily damaged during the 9/11 attacks, it reopens under the company’s new owner.2007: “Mad Men” debuts on AMC, with actor Jon Hamm donning Brooks Brothers suits in his portrayal of 1960s ad man Don Draper.

2017: Donald Trump and Barack Obama wear Brooks Brothers top coats at Trump’s presidential inauguration.

2018: Brooks Brothers celebrates its 200th anniversary, planning a black-tie gala at Lincoln Center.