Resolute desk

Q: Was the W.H. desk made of planks of wood from a British ship used to come over here and kick our butts either in the American Revolution or War of 1812 in which those batards burned down our capitol?

A: No. The Resolute was an arctic exploration ship. The ship became trapped in ice and was abandoned. Recovered by an American whaler who found it floating around among ice, purchased by U.S. congress, fixed up and returned to England as a gift. Previously a merchant sailing ship named Ptarmigan, one of six merchant ships England bought to outfit for arctic exploration to search for the earlier expedition of John Franklin whose fate was unknown. The second expedition in search of the first expedition was a total cockup. The members of the first expedition all died.

Much more at Wikipedia.

The desk is a 19th century partners desk. Partners desks were designed for banking partners who liked to work together facing each other. It's based on the idea of a double pedestal desk. That is two pedestals with drawers connected by another slim drawer. So a partners desk would be two of those facing each other.

Except the Resolute desk is designed for one person, not two people facing each other so it doesn't have drawers front and back. And President Roosevelt had a panel with the presidential seal installed where a second partner's legs would go, to hid his leg braces.

Lies! All lies and subterfuge. Roosevelt didn't want anyone to see his handicap, his weakness, his shame.

Since Hayes many presidents have used the desk at various spots in the White House.

Lyndon Johnson had the desk removed after the Kennedy assassination allowing it to go on a traveling exhibition with the Kennedy Library. Then it was put into the Smithsonian Institution.

Now, there's a clear-thinking American statesman. No need to have the lingering memory of Kennedy ghosting him and no need for British antiques seen centrally in every photograph of every important American executive action. (Thanks for the desk, now put this old thing in America's attic.)

Carter brought it back to the Oval Office.

George Bush I used the C&O desk in the Oval Office but kept the Resolute desk in the White House.

The C&O desk was built for the owners of Chesapeake and Ohio Railway.

The C&O desk is an actual partners desk with drawers in the pedestals left and right, front and back.

And perhaps a panel halfway down the center between drawer-pedestals to keep the partners from kicking each other, or scuffing each other's shoes.

Old pictures make me sad and somewhat disgusted at the same time. It always happens. Knowing where we went from then. That being a point on a timeline to where we are now. There's always something a bit gut-wrenching about them. There is more to this picture I cropped out and every detail is sad including plants and carpet color choice and model boat and art, even the weather seen through the windows. Even the windows. And curtains. Only to mention the people. And the desk. Who's even going to use those outward drawers on your stupid desk?

Why do we keep a British desk in our American Oval Office? Keep your stupid ship planks to yourselves. Do they keep an American desk in their Prime Minister's office? Of course not. That would be ridiculous.

Although they might keep an American footstool. As the Ayatollahs might keep and American rug to wipe their feet on.

This tells us, Trump keeps the desk because he sees no point in making an unnecessary fuss. He might even like it. Go on, carve in your initials.

The way I see things, the desk was bigger than Obama. Something to put his shoes on like a rap gansta video.

And to Bush II, it was just another of those old things one sees around the house.