Tue Dec 25, 2012, 12:58 PM

Does each president get his (her?) own chair?

Among the "pairs" of the year published by TIME magazine, there is the pair of the chair addressed by Clint Eastwood, and Obama's chair tweeted by the White House: "this seat's taken"

There is a brass label affixed to the back of the chair. It says "THE PRESIDENT," but I cannot read below it, except that I think it is a date. Is it?

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15 replies	Author	Time	Post
Does each president get his (her?) own chair? (Original post)	question everything	Dec 2012	OP
Janruary 20, 2009	Angry Dragon	Dec 2012	#1
Thanks. Inauguration Day	question everything	Dec 2012	#2
Yes, if you go to Presidential libraries you will often see their chairs.	former9thward	Dec 2012	#3
I guess many of the desks and chairs and desks in Presidential libraries	alphafemale	Dec 2012	#9
It depends.	former9thward	Dec 2012	#10
My boyfriend and I passed through Little Rock last year. By the time I got to Pres Clinton's library	alphafemale	Dec 2012	#12
Yep, I believe he does.	NYC Liberal	Dec 2012	#6
and desk too. Dems go for FDR or Kennedys and the GOP like Reagans	TeamPooka	Dec 2012	#4
Obama uses the same desk as Reagan, who used the same desk as Kennedy.	Drunken Irishman	Dec 2012	#5
Fascinating. Why is it called the Resolute Desk?	question everything	Dec 2012	#7
It was a gift to Rutherford B Hayes from Queen Victoria	Spider Jerusalem	Dec 2012	#8
Truman used the 'Teddy Roosevelt' desk.	former9thward	Dec 2012	#11
Who would have thought that Presidential desks	question everything	Dec 2012	#13
Clinton also used the Resolute desk.	Beacool	Dec 2012	#14
Hehehehe	MuttLikeMe	Dec 2012	#15

Response to question everything (Original post)

Tue Dec 25, 2012, 01:04 PM

Angry Dragon (24,073 posts)

1. Janruary 20, 2009

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Response to Angry Dragon (Reply #1)

Tue Dec 25, 2012, 01:09 PM

question everything (24,769 posts)

2. Thanks. Inauguration Day

Wonder whether he gets to keep it once he leaves office.

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Response to question everything (Reply #2)

Tue Dec 25, 2012, 01:13 PM

former9thward (6,426 posts)

3. Yes, if you go to Presidential libraries you will often see their chairs.

Last edited Tue Dec 25, 2012, 01:13 PM USA/ET - Edit history (1)

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Response to former9thward (Reply #3)

Thu Dec 27, 2012, 05:32 PM

alphafemale (13,268 posts)

9. I guess many of the desks and chairs and desks in Presidential libraries

are replicas then. I thought the chairs went to the library. I knew the desk stayed in the oval office.

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Response to alphafemale (Reply #9)

Thu Dec 27, 2012, 06:36 PM

former9thward (6,426 posts)

10. It depends.

Lyndon Johnson took the desk he used in the Senate to the White House. He then had it transferred to his Library. He sometimes would sit at the desk and surprise visitors to the Library in Austin, TX.

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Response to former9thward (Reply #10)

Thu Dec 27, 2012, 08:34 PM

alphafemale (13,268 posts)

12. My boyfriend and I passed through Little Rock last year. By the time I got to Pres Clinton's library

It was about 30 minutes to closing time. They let me dash about and see the important bits without an admission fee.

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Response to question everything (Reply #2)

Thu Dec 27, 2012, 06:07 AM

NYC Liberal (15,600 posts)

6. Yep, I believe he does.

Cabinet members can purchase their chair when the leave office -- sometimes the staff will pay for it as a gift.

I don't believe the president has to pay for his.

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Response to question everything (Original post)

Thu Dec 27, 2012, 02:05 AM

TeamPooka (3,301 posts)

4. and desk too. Dems go for FDR or Kennedys and the GOP like Reagans

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Response to TeamPooka (Reply #4)

Thu Dec 27, 2012, 03:21 AM

Drunken Irishman (24,587 posts)

5. Obama uses the same desk as Reagan, who used the same desk as Kennedy.

It's the Resolute desk and was removed from the Oval Office after Kennedy's assassination. Carter brought it back in '77 and it's been used by every president since except H.W. Bush, who brought in the desk he used as vice president.

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Response to Drunken Irishman (Reply #5)

Thu Dec 27, 2012, 12:50 PM

question everything (24,769 posts)

7. Fascinating. Why is it called the Resolute Desk?

Wonder what happened to Truman's "The Buck Stops Here" desk..

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Response to question everything (Reply #7)

Thu Dec 27, 2012, 05:19 PM

Spider Jerusalem (15,381 posts)

8. It was a gift to Rutherford B Hayes from Queen Victoria

made of the timbers of HMS Resolute (British Arctic exploration ship from the ill-fated Franklin expedition in search of the Northwest Passage):http://www.whitehousemuseum.org/furnishings/resolute-desk.htm

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Response to question everything (Reply #7)

Thu Dec 27, 2012, 06:42 PM

former9thward (6,426 posts)

11. Truman used the 'Teddy Roosevelt' desk.

The desk was made for Teddy Roosevelt and used by every president until Kennedy. Nixon used the Roosevelt desk over in the Executive office building in his 'working office'. He had the tape machine used in the Watergate tapes installed in it. I believe the Smithsonian has it now.

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Response to former9thward (Reply #11)

Thu Dec 27, 2012, 09:43 PM

question everything (24,769 posts)