Skip to main content
Menu Collections
Image courtesy of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum.
Image courtesy of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum.
White House Cabinet Chair Used by Franklin Roosevelt
Image courtesy of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum.
Image courtesy of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum.

White House Cabinet Chair Used by Franklin Roosevelt

Object numberMO 1996.66.17
Name Chair, Swivel
Maker (American office furniture company)
Date1941
Mediumleather, fabric, metal, paint, wood (walnut), rubber
Dimensionsoverall H 43 in x W 27 1/2 in x D 32 in (109.2 cm x 69.9 cm x 81.3 cm )
 base W 30 in x D 29 in (76.2 cm x 73.7 cm )
DescriptionAn upholstered swivel (or revolving) and tilt desk chair. The chair back, tops of the arms, seat cushion, and seat surround are upholstered in black leather and edged with brass tacks. Attached to the back of the chair is a small brass plaque with an engraved inscription that reads: THE / PRESIDENT / AUGUST 21, 1941. Adhered to the metal mechanism under the chair seat is a gold retailer's label: THE W. D. CAMPBELL CO. / WASHINGTON, D. C. / BUSINESS / FURNITURE / AND OFFICE / EQUIPMENT.

The chair has a four-legged wood swivel base. The four original rubber casters (now stored separately) have been replaced with modern casters.
Label TextIn 1941, Secretary of Commerce Jesse Jones presented the White House with a new table to be used for meetings in the Cabinet Room. The table, along with this leather chair in which Franklin D. Roosevelt sat, were first used in the Cabinet Room on August 21, 1941.
Additional Details
Custodial History NoteDonated to the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum by Mrs. Franklin D. Roosevelt, Jr. (Linda Stevenson Roosevelt) in 1993.
Credit LineGift of Mrs. Franklin D. Roosevelt, Jr.
National Archives Catalog CollectionFranklin D. Roosevelt Library Museum Collection (National Archives Identifier 735948)
National Archives Catalog SeriesPersonal Possessions of the Roosevelt Family (National Archives Identifier 782689)
Use Restriction StatusUnrestrictedCopyrightReproduction or other use of these holdings or images thereof is unrestricted.
Collections
Non exposé
Related Links