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Finer Things
THE STORY BEHIND THE PRESIDENT'S DESK
By Denise Johnson
Once a newly elected president takes office the voting public tends to concentrate on his plans for the country. We lose interest when the discussion turns to choices for the Oval Office carpet. After all, we've got our own home decorating woes to worry about.
So, I was intrigued to learn the history of the different desks a president has to choose from for the Oval Office.
The most popular desk used by every president except Gerald Ford, Richard Nixon, and Lyndon B. Johnson is the Resolute Desk. Made of oak, it is an exquisitely ornate hand carved piece of furniture constructed in 1879 from the timbers of an old British ship, the H.M.S. Resolute. The ship had been stuck in the Arctic ice for several years before being found by an American vessel. It was bought by the American government and reconditioned as a gift to the Queen of England. Once the ship was decommissioned, it was taken apart and Queen Victoria decided to make a desk for then President Rutherford B. Hayes. Since then, it has only been modified twice. The first time was at the request of Franklin D. Roosevelt. He had the desk raised with a two inch base in order to fit his wheelchair. In addition, he had the kneehole covered with a panel depicting the Presidential seal in order to conceal his leg braces. The second time the desk was during Ronald Reagan's term in order to accommodate his height.
President Barack Obama chose to keep the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office, along with most of the furniture, carpet, and drapes. He has only made minor changes; including removing some artwork depicting Texas landscapes.
A double-pedestal mahogany desk, used by previous presidents, was sometimes referred to as the Wilson Desk. Richard Nixon chose to use this desk because he was a fan of Woodrow Wilson for his world peace efforts; and he misunderstood the association of the desk to this president. The desk was actually used by Henry Wilson, former Vice President of Ulysses S. Grant. Interestingly, during Nixon's term, he had seven microphones installed in the Oval Office. Five were hidden in the Wilson Desk. Several presidents taped their conversations in order to memorialize certain events for posterity.
Because Gerald Ford accepted office after Richard Nixon resigned, he did not have the time or inclination to think about the Oval Office décor. As a result, he used the Wilson Desk during his presidency.
Lyndon B. Johnson, at six foot three inches tall, was the second tallest president ever (Lincoln was the first at six foot three inches tall). He was much too tall to use the Resolute Desk comfortably. He decided to have the Senate cabinet shop make him a new pedestal desk out of Honduran Mahogany. Despite this, he still had it raised a few inches off the ground using a base, so that his knees would not constantly bump into the desk.
The C&O Desk was used in the Oval Office by George Bush (senior), who had it moved from his vice presidential office in the Capitol. It is a reproduction of an eighteenth-century English double pedestal desk, with a full set of drawers on each side, made around 1920 for the owners of the Chesapeake & Ohio Railway. It was later donated to the White House and used by Ford, Carter, and Reagan in the West Wing Study.
Finally, in keeping with a tradition that began with then President Ronald Reagan, and has been carried on ever since, the departing president leaves a note for his successor. So, as George Bush departed the Oval Office for the last time, he left a note for President Barack Obama in the top drawer of the Resolute Desk.