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Image courtesy of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum.
Image courtesy of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum.
Study Desk
Image courtesy of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum.
Image courtesy of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum.

Study Desk

Artifact IDMO 2007.771
Object Type Desk
Maker (American, founded 1866)
Date1963
Mediumwood, metal
Dimensionsoverall H 35 3/4 in x W 72 in x D 36 in (90.8 cm x 182.9 cm x 91.4 cm )
Physical DescriptionA stained, dark wood desk in the Federal-period style. The eight-legged desk has metal drawer pulls and metal feet caps. On the sitter's side are seven operational drawers, the center drawer having a locking mechanism for all drawers. The opposite side of the desk mirrors the seater's, though the "drawers" are faux and do not open. Each end of the desk top has a two-tiered narrow shelving unit.
Historical NoteThis desk is a 1963 copy of the desk used by President Roosevelt in his private Study in the Roosevelt Library. The original desk - a replica of one once owned by George Washington - was removed by FDR's son, James, after the President's death. Roosevelt purchased that desk in 1918 for President Woodrow Wilson while he was serving as Wilson's Assistant Secretary of the Navy. It was part of a set of furnishings FDR bought to outfit Wilson's quarters aboard the USS GEORGE WASHINGTON, the ship Wilson used to travel to Europe to attend the Paris Peace Conference at the end of World War I. Years later, when the ship's furnishings were auctioned off, FDR purchased the desk. He later installed it in his Study. This copy of the original desk is on display in FDR’S PRIVATE STUDY in the Permanent Exhibit.
Additional Details
Credit LineGift of the Kittinger Company
National Archives Catalog CollectionFranklin D. Roosevelt Library Museum Collection (National Archives Identifier 735948)
National Archives Catalog SeriesGift Items and Commemorative Artifacts (National Archives Identifier 782690)
Use Restriction StatusUnrestricted
CopyrightReproduction or other use of these holdings or images thereof is unrestricted.
In Collection(s)
On view
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