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Written by: Chris Binkert

Material things—books, pets, cars and the like—are intertwined with the lives of the presidents, just like anyone else.

It makes me wonder “Whatever happened to those items?”

Thomas Jefferson

A lifelong bibliophile, by 1814 Jefferson owned the largest personal library in the country, totaling over 6,487 books.  When the British burned the Capitol during the War of 1812, they wiped out the Congressional Library. Jefferson, being “land rich and cash poor”,  was constantly in debt.  In 1814 he made a deal to sell his collection to the government for $23,950 to help pay some debts.

66% of that collection burned on Christmas Eve 1851 at the Capitol due to a faulty chimney flue.  The roughly 2,000 surviving books are preserved on public display today at the Library of Congress.

John Quincy Adams

After his one term presidency ended in 1829, Adams decided he could best serve his country by running for Congress. Elected in 1830, he was in his 9th term in 1848 when he collapsed at his desk at the Capitol.  He was moved into the Speaker’s Room and laid onto a massive mahogany couch. Adams never left that couch, dying two days later.

The historic sofa has been reupholstered and kept in that very same room, now called the Women’s Reading Room.

Franklin D. Roosevelt and Fala

Roosevelt’s Scottish Terrier, Fala, was his constant companion for the last five years of his life. Fala was famous too, becoming a part of some of FDR’s speeches.

What happened to Fala after FDR’s death at Warm Springs in 1945?  FDR’s wife Eleanor kept Fala as her pet until he died in 1952.  If you visit Roosevelt’s memorial monument in Washington DC, you will see Fala sitting next to FDR as the president sits in a chair.

John F. Kennedy

There are two items related to Kennedy’s assassination that are of interest.  First is the original casket used to transport his body from Dallas to Washington.  Once back in DC, the morticians found they could not use the casket, as it was defiled by blood.  They acquired a second casket, the one in which he was buried at Arlington National Cemetery.  What happened to the first casket?

It was secured in a warehouse for two years while the government negotiated the price for the casket from the funeral director from Dallas.  The final price was $3160. The funeral director offered to charge nothing as long as he could get the casket back. He had received offers up to $100,000 to buy it for public exhibition. Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, JFK’s brother,  requested that the military dispose of it in a way such that it would never become a macabre attraction.  In 1966, after drilling it and filling it with sand, it was parachuted into the ocean from a cargo plane 100 miles east of Washington in about 9,000 feet of water.

The second item related to the assassination is the limousine Kennedy was riding in when shot.  What happened to that vehicle?

The government had the limo completely refurbished at a cost of $500,000 and it continued to serve four more presidents.  Technically, the limo is owned by the Ford Motor Company, who had leased it to the government for $500 a year.  It is now on display at the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn Michigan.

Harry Truman and Lyndon Johnson

Both Truman and Johnson had cars that became part of their legacy.

Harry Truman purchased a 1953 Chrysler New Yorker upon leaving office that year.  After a few months in Independence Missouri, Harry and Bess decided to drive themselves back to Washington for a visit. Yes, just the two of them drove the big Chrysler, 2500 miles,  with Harry driving and Bess navigating.  They stayed in motels and ate at restaurants along the way.  They had no Secret Service protection.

Harry sold the car in 1955, and it was lost to history until 2010 when it was discovered in a barn in Kansas. Unfortunately it was not maintained and is currently undriveable. The owners hope to have it restored one day.

Lyndon Johnson owned an Amphicar and kept it at his Texas ranch. The car was drivable on land as well as water.  Johnson loved to drive visitors around the ranch in the car, and when he’d get close to the lake, he would pretend that the brakes had gone out and they were heading into the lake!  Once on the surface, the car floated and was propelled along at a slow speed.  All in good fun except for one occasion when a startled woman decided to jump out before hitting the water, breaking her leg.

Written by Chris Binkert

Over the length of their careers and lifetimes, presidents can become associated with items that help define themselves to the public.  Think Lincoln’s top hat, or Kennedy’s golf clubs,  or George H.W. Bush’s horseshoes.

Some of these items are so intertwined with their lives, they become cultural icons. Photos of them using the items help fix them into our memory banks.

It makes me wonder “Whatever happened to those items?”

Washington

George Washington had bad teeth and spent decades trying to find dentures that he could comfortably wear.  It was so bad that he never smiled much in public, and certainly not for portraits. So, whatever happened to his dentures?

The only complete set of Washington’s dentures can be seen on display at Mt. Vernon, his Virginia estate. Other pieces of his multiple sets of dentures can be seen at the National Museum of Dentistry in Baltimore, and the New York Academy of Medicine.

It’s also a myth that he wore wooden teeth. His were mostly ivory.

Lincoln

Abraham Lincoln wore a top hat for much of the later years of his life. He would store paper notes in the space above his head.  He wore a top hat with a black band signifying the death of his son Willie when he attended the play at Ford’s Theater in April 1865.  After he was shot at close range by John Wilkes Booth, what happened to his top hat?

It was recovered by the War Department and transferred to the Smithsonian Institution. The museum hid it in a basement crate until 1893 when it went on display at the National Museum of American History in Washington DC.  It is a heavily guarded and popular exhibit.

Wilson

Woodrow Wilson, the only president to earn a PhD, typed his own letters, speeches, and documents long before entering the White House.  Once elected, he continued to create his own material, using a series of typewriters.  His favorite was a 1913 Hammond portable that he used to draft his famous Fourteen Points speech.

After his term ended in 1921, the typewriter was disposed of as surplus property.  Somehow, Wilson’s physician, Dr. Cary Grayson, was able to acquire the typewriter and kept it among his family possessions.  In 1962, Grayson’s family formally returned the typewriter to the White House as a gift to President John F. Kennedy.  You can see it today at the White House Visitor Center.

Franklin D. Roosevelt

Franklin D. Roosevelt loved a good martini, especially the ones he made himself using his exquisite traveling martini kit.  It was a 1925 set featuring a silver cocktail shaker and six matching cups kept inside a custom maroon velvet-lined leather box.

Roosevelt took it to the White House in 1933 and used it most days in his private study where he would mix drinks for his inner circle of staff and friends after hours.  Privately, they said his drinks tasted terrible, but they drank them out of respect for Roosevelt.

Today, the martini kit is on display at the FDR Presidential Library and Museum in Hyde Park NY.

John F. Kennedy

Although he tried to keep it on the low-down, Kennedy was a very good golfer, possibly the best among the many presidential players.  Since he had criticized his immediate predecessor, Dwight D. Eisenhower, about playing too much golf as president, Kennedy preferred not to publicize his outings.

After his assassination in 1963, First Lady Jackie Kennedy kept his clubs in her private possession.  Two years after her death in 1994, Sotheby’s auctioned off the golf clubs as part of an estate sale.   Actor Arnold Schwarzenegger, married to Maria Shriver, niece of President Kennedy,  bought the woods for $772,500, and an anonymous buyer paid $387,000 for the irons.

George H. W. Bush

George H. W. Bush loved to play horseshoes. Pitching horseshoes was one of his favorite pastimes.  He had a horseshoe pit built at the White House in 1989, which still remains there today.

When Queen Elizabeth II visited Bush in 1991, she gave him a set of four silver horseshoes which he immediately used by demonstrating his technique for her.  That set can be seen at Bush’s presidential museum in College Station, Texas.

Naturally, Bush had a pit at Camp David too. When Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev visited, Bush took him out to play.  Gorbachev tossed a ringer on his first try!  Bush had the shoe mounted as a gift and presented it to Gorbachev that night at dinner.

There are many more stories like these of items used by the presidents that became identified with their personality.  Look for more of these stories in this space in the future.

Interested in learning more about the presidents? Visit the Carolyn & James Millar Presidential Gallery on the upper level of the Booth Western Art Museum. The gallery features original letters and photographs of every U.S. president. Learn more at www.boothmuseum.org.

Written by Chris Binkert

During the Revolutionary War, legend has it that George Washington climbed to the top of Torne mountain in New York in order to observe British naval activity on the Hudson River.  While attempting to estimate the arrival times of ships he took out his pocket watch and accidently dropped it into a crevice in the rock and was unable to retrieve it.

The watch had been a gold covered gift from the Freemasons and was a treasured item.

This presidential watch story got me thinking about how the presidents kept time, and how such a mundane concept evolved over the centuries.

Early Presidents

Don’t worry, Washington later replaced his lost watch with a French 1788 Jean-Antoine Lepine pocket watch.

Thomas Jefferson, having served as Minister to France, used a French-made Vaucher pocket watch. At home, Jefferson invented a unique seven-day gravity powered clock called The Great Clock at Monticello.  Driven by fourteen 18-pound cannon balls, the clock tracks the day and time with a two sided dial. The clock still works and is wound every Sunday.

19^th and early 20th century Presidents

The Presidents of the 19^th and early 20th century primarily used sturdy old clocks to know the time of day.  The White House has many mantle and grandfather clocks. One of the grandfather clocks, a 1795 Seymour,  is in the Oval Office today, placed there by Gerald Ford in 1975.

Modern Day Presidents

In modern times the president is surrounded by aides and secretaries that keep them on schedule.  But the president still wears a watch. In fact, the image and symbolism surrounding the president’s choice of a wristwatch can telegraph intention without saying a word.

Franklin D. Roosevelt

Franklin D. Roosevelt was the first president to wear a wristwatch, a Movado 14 carat gold Triple Calendar. It was a gift from Tiffany & Co. and was inscribed “Franklin Delano Roosevelt with Loyalty, Respect and Affection January 30, 1945″.

Harry Truman

Truman was gifted a Flying Officer watch by his Senate staff before he became president. It was the first of its kind to tell time around the world.  Once president, Truman began wearing a $25,000 Universal Geneve Tri-Complex. Known for its precision, the watch displayed a calendar and moon phase as well. He wore it to his first big meeting at Potsdam with Churchill and Stalin, striving to send a message that he’d arrived and should be respected.

Dwight D. Eisenhower

Ike was the first president to wear a Rolex Datejust, a gift from Rolex engraved with 5 stars (his military rank) and his initials. Today, Ike’s Rolex is valued at $1 million.

John F. Kennedy

Before his election to the presidency, he was gifted an Omega Ultrathin, engraved ‘President of the United States, John F. Kennedy’.   He wore it to his inauguration in 1961. That watch was later purchased by Omega for $350,000 to keep in its collection.

Lyndon B. Johnson

LBJ wore a Rolex Day-Date as President. He treated it like it was a badge of the office itself, wearing it constantly. He gave them away to allies and foreign leaders as well. Later, out of office, he wore an 18 carat gold Patek Philipe. Inscribed on the dial was this saying: “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”

Richard Nixon

Nixon wore a Vulcain Cricket alarm watch while president. Memorably, he was gifted a solid gold Omega Speedmaster in 1969, engraved with his name and reference to the first Man on the Moon. Valued at over $100,000, he declined the gift due to Federal Gift Rules.

Gerald Ford

To emphasize the need for cost savings, Ford wore an inexpensive Pulsar LED digital watch. He later wore a Rolex Day-Date “President” watch, and in retirement was gifted a Vulcain Cricket.

Jimmy Carter

In keeping with his desired ‘man of the people’ image, Carter wore a Casio Forester, usually with the face on the inside of his wrist.

Ronald Reagan

Reagan also wore his watch on the inside of his wrist, but his was a Rolex Datejust. The Rolex projects quiet authority and confidence.

George H. W. Bush

To project a down to earth image, George Bush wore a Timex Indiglo, keeping his collection of upscale watches in the drawer. In his 1992 re-election debate Bush was famously caught checking his watch as a voter asked a question, suggesting Bush was eager to leave the scene.

Bill Clinton

As President, Clinton wore a chunky, inexpensive Timex Ironman Triathlon to work. He wanted to project authority with simple, digital functionality. Later, out of office, Clinton indulged in upscale brands like Panerai, Zenith, Jaeger-LeCoultre, and A. Lange & Sohne.

George W. Bush

Like his father, Bush wore a simple Timex Indiglo with an American flag placed at the ‘12’.

Barack Obama

Obama wore a Jorg Gray Chronograph, a gift from his Secret Service detail. Post presidency, he wore a white gold Rolex Cellini, a more subtle, understated luxury item.

Donald Trump

Trump has a collection of upscale watches. He has worn Patek Philippe Ellipse, Vacheron Constantin, and Rolex models to project taste and confidence.

Joe Biden

Also a watch collector, Biden wore a Rolex Datejust to his inauguration, a gift from First Lady Jill Biden.  He has worn Omega Seamaster, Omega Speedmaster Professional, and a Seiko. Biden also was the first president to wear an Apple Watch.

It’s clear that modern politicians carefully calibrate their choice of wristwatch to coincide how they wish to be perceived by the voting public. Once out of office, they are free to indulge in expensive symbols of wealth and power to better match their station in life.

Interested in learning more about the presidents? Visit the Carolyn & James Millar Presidential Gallery on the upper level of the Booth Western Art Museum. The gallery features original letters and photographs of every U.S. president. Learn more at www.boothmuseum.org.

Written by Chris Binkert | Photo: Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum

They are close to political power but are not elected. They are not paid for their services. They can be helpful to presidents, sometimes representing the president in foreign and domestic venues. In one case, they were rumored to be ‘acting president’.

Who are these people?

Yes, you’ve got it…. It’s the First Ladies.

From Martha Washington to Jill Biden, our country’s chief executive has been supported by a woman who takes on multiple duties for free. They frequently take on projects and issues important to themselves and the president.  In modern times they have a large support staff of their own.

However, not all these First Ladies were the wives of the president. If the president is not married, is a widower, or his spouse is unable to serve, women close to the president have been asked to take on the role.  13 women who were not the wife of the president have served as First Lady.  The first instance of this was in the Thomas Jefferson administration (1801-1809). His wife died in 1782. Therefore, Jefferson asked his daughter, Martha Jefferson Randolph, to help with social duties.

First Lady Rankings

As with the presidency, the First Lady’s role has expanded over the years and is also subject to ranking exercises by historians.  Siena College has published a ranking of First Lady’s every ten years since the early 1980s, most recently in 2013.  Historians are asked to rate First Ladies on ten factors, including background, value to the country, integrity, leadership, intelligence, accomplishments, being her own woman, courage, public image, and value to the president.  The top three are:

1. Eleanor Roosevelt
2. Abigail Adams
3. Jacqueline Kennedy

Eleanor Roosevelt (Franklin Roosevelt) has ranked as the number one First Lady in each edition of the Siena survey. Her 12 years in the White House allowed her extensive time to pursue humanitarian rights, civil rights, plus write a weekly news column, hold press conferences, and travel the world as the president’s ‘eyes and ears’.

Abigail Adams (John Adams) was an early advocate of women’s causes and worked to abolish slavery.

Jackie Kennedy needs little introduction. In her short 1,000 days as First Lady she undertook a historic restoration of the White House, famously giving a televised tour of the results and winning an Emmy Award for her work. Her courage, dignity, and steadiness at age 34 in the aftermath of JFK’s assassination in 1963 made her a heroic figure among First Ladies.

First Lady Perspectives

The youngest First Lady was Frances Cleveland, who married Grover Cleveland in the White House at age 21.  Upon Cleveland’s defeat in the election of 1888, she famously said to the White House staff “keep all in order here, as we’ll be back in four years.” Grover won back the White House in 1892, making Frances the First Lady once more.

The longest lived First Lady was Bess Truman, who passed at age 97. She met Harry Truman in the 5^th grade in Independence Missouri.

Three First Ladies died while their spouse was president. First was Letitia Tyler who died of a stroke in 1842. Her husband John Tyler then married Julia Gardiner, who requested that Hail to the Chief be played at every presidential appearance, which continues to this day.

The second First Lady to pass way in office was Caroline Harrison, wife of Benjamin. She died of tuberculosis 2 weeks before the election of 1892 in which her husband was defeated by Grover Cleveland. This enabled Cleveland to become the first and only non-consecutive president. Benjamin Harrison subsequently married Caroline’s niece, 25 years younger than himself.

The last First Lady to die while in office was Ellen Wilson, who succumbed to kidney disease in 1914. One of her accomplishments was the creation of the Rose Garden at the White House.

Her husband Woodrow soon married Edith Boling Gault.  It was Edith who some say became ‘acting president’ when Woodrow had a massive stroke in 1919.  She collaborated with his doctor to screen all his visitors, read all his correspondence, and kept the world at bay for many months until he left office in early 1921.

In 1912, Helen Taft, William Howard Taft’s wife, made a lasting contribution to the Washington DC scene by accepting a gift from Japan to plant 3,000 blossoming cherry trees around the Tidal Basin.

In 1965, Congress passed the Highway Beautification Act, a priority project for Lady Bird Johnson. We can thank her for advocating to have better control of outdoor advertising on Interstate Highways and Federal roads.

More contemporary First Ladies have taken up special causes as their signature effort to connect with America.  Nancy Reagan’s was Just Say No to drugs. Barbara and Laura Bush both advocated for childhood literacy. Rosalynn Carter’s cause was mental health.

As the role has evolved, the First Lady has played an ever more visible part of the presidency, many times winning approval ratings well above their husband’s.

Written by Chris Binkert

Wine has a long history among the presidents.  From George Washington on, every president has, in one way or another, used wine to further their agendas, recognize a diplomat, toast a friend, or just have a glass for personal enjoyment.

Wine at the White House survived the Temperance Movement, Prohibition – and even the occasional teetotaler president.

Founding Fathers

George Washington (1789-1797) loved madeira, a fortified wine popular in colonial America.  Coming mostly from an island off the coast of Africa owned by Portugal, it was fortified with a distilled spirit like brandy to strengthen it for the long journey to America.  Washington tried to produce wine at Mt. Vernon but wasn’t successful.

Thomas Jefferson (1801-1809) became America’s foremost presidential wine enthusiast owing to his service as Minister to France in the 1780’s. In that post he became very familiar with French wines, then considered the best in the world.  He said, “good wine is a necessity for me”, and imported thousands of bottles.

He advised other presidents, giving suggestions of particular vintages and using his contacts to place orders.  He once ordered 30 dozen bottles of Chateau Y’quem for George Washington and had 10 dozen sent to himself.  Jefferson also liked Chateau Margaux, a red wine from the Bordeaux region of France that today sells for $600 a bottle.

Early America’s first efforts to produce wine were largely a failure. Dolley Madison, First Lady of James Madison (1809-1817), banned American wines from the White House due to their inferior quality.

Madison’s successor, James Monroe (1817-1825), also served as Minister to France and enjoyed their wines. He once caused a minor scandal by ordering 1,200 bottles but charged it to the ‘furniture’ account instead.

19^th Century

Zachary Taylor (1849-1850) and Millard Fillmore (1850-1853) served in office during the onset of the Temperance Movement and personally did not drink much. However, they served wine at the White House due to its diplomatic importance.

The first president to serve an American wine was Abraham Lincoln (1861-1865).  In 1864 he was gifted a case from California and served it to his guests.

Rutherford Hayes (1877-1881) and his First Lady Lucy were staunchly opposed to alcohol and didn’t serve any at the White House, offering guests fruit juice instead. This earned the First Lady the nickname Lemonade Lucy.

20^th Century

During Prohibition (1920-1933), the presidents were more limited in using and transporting wines but received permission from Congress to continue to serve for toasts and diplomatic purposes.

You may wonder where the concept of ‘toasting’ originated, and why it’s called ‘a toast’. The ancient Greeks started the tradition of raising a glass for good health and friendship; but the Romans added a new aspect to the custom. Back then, the wine might be poisoned or impure, so the Romans dunked pieces of burnt bread into their wine to soak up impurities and then proceeded to raise the glass to friendship and good health, thus making it a toast.

John F. Kennedy (1961-1963) and First Lady Jacquline renewed the usage of wine at a whole new level. Jackie attended school in France and spoke French fluently.  Jack and Jackie served Chateau Margaux and Chateau Haut-Brion.

Richard Nixon (1969-1974) introduced Schramsburg Blanc de Blancs as the ‘wine of peace’. Produced in California, Nixon had the sparkling wine on his famous ground-breaking trip to China in 1972 to toast Premier Chou En-Lai.  Schramsburg has been used by every president since Nixon for special diplomatic events.

Jimmy Carter (1977-1981) banned the use of hard liquor at the White House but allowed wine to be served. Jimmy also produced his own home-made wine, using Scuppernong and Muscadine grapes. He gave it to friends and family and auctioned off bottles to raise money for the Carter Center.

Carter also made a big change to state dinners. He moved the wine toast to the beginning of the meal, a practice followed by all subsequent presidents. At state dinners three wines are typically served, a light white for the first course, a red with the entrée, and a champagne or sparkling wine with dessert.

Ronald Reagan (1981-1989), the former Governor of California, intentionally used wine at the White House as a way to help boost the wine producers of his home state.  The sales of Kendall-Jackson chardonnay boomed after First Lady Nancy Reagan said how much she enjoyed it.

Modern Day

Three of our four most recent presidents do not drink alcohol.  However, George W. Bush, Donald Trump and Joe Biden still conducted the toasts, sometimes with just a sip of wine or substituting juice instead.

No longer dependent on European wines, our presidents almost exclusively serve American wines at the White House.

As you can see, wine has a long-standing place in the conduct of the presidency. Let’s raise a glass to honor this great tradition!

Interested in learning more about the presidents? Visit the Carolyn & James Millar Presidential Gallery on the upper level of the Booth Western Art Museum. The gallery features original letters and photographs of every U.S. president. Learn more at www.boothmuseum.org.