Resolute desk facts for kids

President Barack Obama sitting at the Resolute desk in 2009

The Resolute desk is a very famous desk. Many presidents have used it in the White House Oval Office. It has a long and interesting history.

This special desk was a gift from Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom. She gave it to President Rutherford B. Hayes in 1880. The desk was made from the wood of a British ship called HMS Resolute. This ship was used for exploring the Arctic.

The Ship and the Gift

The HMS Resolute was part of a search mission in the Arctic. It got stuck in the ice and was left behind. Later, an American ship found it and brought it back to the United Kingdom. As a thank you for returning the ship, Queen Victoria decided to have a desk made from its wood. This beautiful desk was then given to the President of the United States.

Presidents and the Desk

Many presidents have used the Resolute desk. It has been in different rooms in the White House over the years.

Franklin D. Roosevelt's Special Touch

President Franklin D. Roosevelt made a change to the desk. He added a special door to the front, where your legs go. This door had the Presidential Seal on it. He used it to hide his leg braces, which helped him feel more comfortable.

A Journey Away and Back

After President John F. Kennedy was sadly assassinated in 1963, the desk left the White House. President Lyndon B. Johnson allowed it to be part of a traveling exhibit. This exhibit showed items from the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum. After that, the desk was put on display at the Smithsonian Institution.

In 1977, President Jimmy Carter brought the desk back to the Oval Office. It has been used by almost every president since then. Only President George H. W. Bush chose to use a different desk for a while.

Images for kids

• 

  The Resolute desk in William Howard Taft's study.

• 

  A view of Resolute and other ships before they left Beechey Island.

• 

  An image of Queen Victoria visiting HMS Resolute in 1856.

• 

  An early plan for furniture made from the Resolute wood.

• 

  An image of a different design for furniture from the Resolute wood.

• 

  Jules Cambon signing the Treaty of Paris at the Resolute desk in 1899.

• 

  The desk in the Broadcast Room in 1952.

• 

  Stanley Tretick's photo of John F. Kennedy Jr. playing in the desk in 1963.

• 

  People at an exhibition for the Resolute desk in 1967.

• 

  The Presidential call button and a pen holder on the Resolute desk in 2009.

• 

  The Grinnell desk, another desk with a similar history.

• 

  A replica of the desk from the TV show The West Wing.