Speaking tour

[Bapopik at AOL.COM]

   "Listening tour" (which our first lady is on right now--she's not campaigning, mind you) was inspired by the earlier "speaking tour."  I requested Peter Tamony materials on "listening tour," but haven't heard back yet.
   "Speaking tour" is not properly recorded.  Two early hits on an OCLC WorldCat title search:

The tour of President Harrison to the Pacific coast, scenes and incidents of his recption in the souther states (1891)
Theodore Roosevelt's western speaking tour of 1903 (1955)

     The Periodical Contents Index turned up 28 hits, mostly in PUBLIC, volumes 9-11, 1906-1911:

Bryan's Speaking Tour, PUBLIC, Sept. 29, 1906, pg. 609.
Mr. Bryan's Speaking Tour, PUBLIC, Oct. 20, 1906, pg. 677.
Mr. Taft's Speaking Tour, PUBLIC, Sept. 25, 1908, pg. 611.  (et al.)

     Historical Newspapers Online has "speaking tour" from 1917 (LONDON TIMES).
     The American Memory database has:

Anna Howard Shaw (1847-1919) autobiography (1915)--(...) After touring the country in a series of freelance speaking engagements, she accepted Francis Willard's invitation to head the Franchise Department of the WCTU from 1888 to 1892.

Group of businessmen listen to Farm Security Administration borrower tell of progress he has made.  During this "Know your farmer" tour visited six Farm Security Administration borrowers.  Neshoba County, Mississippi. (August 1940).