List of Oval Office desks

Since the construction of the Oval Office in 1909, there have been six different desks used in the office by the president of the United States. The desk usually sits in front of the south wall of the Oval Office. The desk has an executive chair behind and usually has chairs for advisors placed to either side or in front. Each president uses the Oval Office, and the desk in it, differently. The desk is widely used ceremonially for photo opportunities and press announcements. Some presidents, such as Richard Nixon, used the desk only for these ceremonial purposes, while others, including Dwight D. Eisenhower, used it as their main workspace. The first desk used in the Oval Office was the Theodore Roosevelt desk. The desk currently in use by Donald Trump is the Resolute desk. Of the six desks that have occupied the Oval Office, the Resolute has spent the longest time in the room, having been used by eight presidents. The Resolute has been used by John F. Kennedy and by all U . presidents since 1977 with the exception of George H. W. Bush. Bush used the C&O desk for his one term, making it the shortest-serving desk to date. Other past presidents used the Hoover desk, the Johnson desk, and the Wilson desk. The process for choosing a desk is not standardized and different presidents have chosen desks for different reasons. A few presidents have made public through interviews or papers in their presidential libraries how their choice was made. A 1974 memo explaining the desk options Gerald Ford could choose from is held at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library. Jimmy Carter wrote about choosing a desk as his first official presidential decision in his 1982 memoir Keeping Faith: Memoirs of a President. In an interview with Chris Wallace, Donald Trump described that there are seven desks to choose from and that he chose the Resolute desk due to its history and beauty. Joe Biden explained in a 2023 interview with Architectural Digest that there is a suburban Maryland facility with a replica Oval Office where interior decorators can test the placement of furnishings before they are moved into the actual Oval Office on Inauguration Day.

Tables

· Desks by president

Theodore Roosevelt desk

Desk

Theodore Roosevelt desk

Oval Office tenant

William Howard Taft

Workspace dimensions

90 by 53 inches (229 by 136 cm)

Notes

This desk was created in 1903 for then President Theodore Roosevelt. It was first used in the Oval Office by William Howard Taft and remained there until the West Wing fire in 1929. It remained in storage until 1945 when Harry S. Truman placed it in the modern Oval Office. Richard Nixon used this desk in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building whe

Current location

Vice President's Ceremonial Office, Eisenhower Executive Office Building, Washington, D .

Picture

Woodrow Wilson

Desk

Woodrow Wilson

Warren G. Harding

Desk

Warren G. Harding

Calvin Coolidge

Desk

Calvin Coolidge

Herbert Hoover

Desk

Herbert Hoover

Harry S. Truman

Desk

Harry S. Truman

Dwight D. Eisenhower

Desk

Dwight D. Eisenhower

Hoover desk

Desk

Hoover desk

Oval Office tenant

Herbert Hoover

Workspace dimensions

82 by 45 inches (210 by 116 cm)

Notes

A December 24, 1929 fire severely damaged the West Wing, including the Oval Office. President Herbert Hoover accepted the donation of a new desk from a group of Grand Rapids, Michigan, furniture-makers and used it as his Oval Office desk after the new office was completed.

Current location

Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum, Hyde Park, New York

Picture

Franklin D. Roosevelt

Desk

Franklin D. Roosevelt

Resolute desk

Desk

Resolute desk

Oval Office tenant

John F. Kennedy

Workspace dimensions

72 by 48 inches (180 by 120 cm)

Notes

This desk was created from wood salvaged from HMS Resolute and given to President Rutherford B. Hayes by Queen Victoria in 1879. It had a hinged front panel added to it by Franklin D. Roosevelt. The desk resided in the White House in various rooms, until Jacqueline Kennedy found it languishing in the "White House broadcast room". She had it restore

Current location

Oval Office, The White House, Washington, D .

Picture

Jimmy Carter

Desk

Jimmy Carter

Ronald Reagan

Desk

Ronald Reagan

Bill Clinton

Desk

Bill Clinton

George W. Bush

Desk

George W. Bush

Barack Obama

Desk

Barack Obama

Donald Trump

Desk

Donald Trump

Joe Biden

Desk

Joe Biden

Johnson desk

Desk

Johnson desk

Oval Office tenant

Lyndon B. Johnson

Workspace dimensions

75 by 45 inches (192 by 116 cm)

Notes

This desk was used by Johnson from the time he was in the United States Senate up through his tenure in the Oval Office.

Current location

Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and Museum, Austin, Texas

Picture

Wilson desk

Desk

Wilson desk

Oval Office tenant

Richard Nixon

Workspace dimensions

80 by 58 inches (205 by 148 cm)

Notes

Nixon used this desk both as vice president and president, because he believed that it had been used by President Woodrow Wilson. Actually, the desk had not been used by Woodrow Wilson or by Vice President Henry Wilson.

Current location

Vice President's Room, United States Capitol, Washington, D .

Picture

Gerald Ford

Desk

Gerald Ford

C&O desk

Desk

C&O desk

Oval Office tenant

George H. W. Bush

Workspace dimensions

Unknown

Notes

George H. W. Bush used this desk during his tenure as both vice president and president of the United States. It was created for the owners of the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway around 1920 and subsequently donated to the White House. Previously, Presidents Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, and Ronald Reagan had used it in the West Wing Study.

Current location

White House collection

Picture

Desk	Oval Office tenant	Workspace dimensions	Notes	Current location	Picture
Theodore Roosevelt desk	William Howard Taft	90 by 53 inches (229 by 136 cm)	This desk was created in 1903 for then President Theodore Roosevelt. It was first used in the Oval Office by William Howard Taft and remained there until the West Wing fire in 1929. It remained in storage until 1945 when Harry S. Truman placed it in the modern Oval Office. Richard Nixon used this desk in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building whe	Vice President's Ceremonial Office, Eisenhower Executive Office Building, Washington, D .
	Woodrow Wilson
	Warren G. Harding
	Calvin Coolidge
	Herbert Hoover
	Harry S. Truman
	Dwight D. Eisenhower
Hoover desk	Herbert Hoover	82 by 45 inches (210 by 116 cm)	A December 24, 1929 fire severely damaged the West Wing, including the Oval Office. President Herbert Hoover accepted the donation of a new desk from a group of Grand Rapids, Michigan, furniture-makers and used it as his Oval Office desk after the new office was completed.	Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum, Hyde Park, New York
	Franklin D. Roosevelt
Resolute desk	John F. Kennedy	72 by 48 inches (180 by 120 cm)	This desk was created from wood salvaged from HMS Resolute and given to President Rutherford B. Hayes by Queen Victoria in 1879. It had a hinged front panel added to it by Franklin D. Roosevelt. The desk resided in the White House in various rooms, until Jacqueline Kennedy found it languishing in the "White House broadcast room". She had it restore	Oval Office, The White House, Washington, D .
	Jimmy Carter
	Ronald Reagan
	Bill Clinton
	George W. Bush
	Barack Obama
	Donald Trump
	Joe Biden
Johnson desk	Lyndon B. Johnson	75 by 45 inches (192 by 116 cm)	This desk was used by Johnson from the time he was in the United States Senate up through his tenure in the Oval Office.	Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and Museum, Austin, Texas
Wilson desk	Richard Nixon	80 by 58 inches (205 by 148 cm)	Nixon used this desk both as vice president and president, because he believed that it had been used by President Woodrow Wilson. Actually, the desk had not been used by Woodrow Wilson or by Vice President Henry Wilson.	Vice President's Room, United States Capitol, Washington, D .
	Gerald Ford
C&O desk	George H. W. Bush	Unknown	George H. W. Bush used this desk during his tenure as both vice president and president of the United States. It was created for the owners of the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway around 1920 and subsequently donated to the White House. Previously, Presidents Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, and Ronald Reagan had used it in the West Wing Study.	White House collection

Chronology of Oval Office desks · Desks by president › Chronology

Presidency

President

William Howard Taft

Desk

Theodore Roosevelt desk

Presidency

President

Woodrow Wilson

Presidency

President

Warren G. Harding

Presidency

President

Calvin Coolidge

Presidency

President

Herbert Hoover

Hoover desk

Presidency

Hoover desk

Presidency

President

Franklin D. Roosevelt

Presidency

President

Harry S. Truman

Desk

Theodore Roosevelt desk

Presidency

President

Dwight D. Eisenhower

Presidency

President

John F. Kennedy

Desk

Resolute desk

Presidency

President

Lyndon B. Johnson

Desk

Johnson desk

Presidency

President

Richard Nixon

Desk

Wilson desk

Presidency

President

Gerald Ford

Presidency

President

Jimmy Carter

Desk

Resolute desk

Presidency

President

Ronald Reagan

Presidency

President

George H. W. Bush

Desk

C&O desk

Presidency

President

Bill Clinton

Desk

Resolute desk

Presidency

President

George W. Bush

Presidency

President

Barack Obama

45/47

Presidency

45/47

President

Donald Trump

Presidency

President

Joe Biden

Presidency	President	Desk
27	William Howard Taft	Theodore Roosevelt desk
28	Woodrow Wilson
29	Warren G. Harding
30	Calvin Coolidge
31	Herbert Hoover
31	Herbert Hoover	Hoover desk
32	Franklin D. Roosevelt	Hoover desk
33	Harry S. Truman	Theodore Roosevelt desk
34	Dwight D. Eisenhower	Theodore Roosevelt desk
35	John F. Kennedy	Resolute desk
36	Lyndon B. Johnson	Johnson desk
37	Richard Nixon	Wilson desk
38	Gerald Ford	Wilson desk
39	Jimmy Carter	Resolute desk
40	Ronald Reagan	Resolute desk
41	George H. W. Bush	C&O desk
42	Bill Clinton	Resolute desk
43	George W. Bush
44	Barack Obama
45/47	Donald Trump
46	Joe Biden

· Pre-Oval Office executive desks

Washington's writing desk

Desk

Washington's writing desk

Presidential tenant(s)

George Washington

Notes

Used by Washington in Federal Hall. After Federal Hall was demolished in 1812, the desk found its way to Bellevue Almshouse. This "horrified" the City Council who had it moved to the Governor's Room in 1844 where it has remained since.

Current location

Governor's Room, New York City Hall, New York

Picture

Washington's presidential desk

Desk

Washington's presidential desk

Presidential tenant(s)

George Washington

Notes

Used by Washington in his office in the President's House, the executive mansion at the time. This desk is now in the collection of the Philadelphia History Museum, which has been closed to the public since 2018.

Current location

Philadelphia History Museum, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Picture

External image George Washington desk

Declaration of Independence Desk

Desk

Declaration of Independence Desk

Presidential tenant(s)

Thomas Jefferson

Notes

This portable desk made by Benjamin Randolph was used by Thomas Jefferson as he wrote the United States Declaration of Independence. Jefferson continued to use this desk through his time as president.

Current location

American Democracy exhibition, National Museum of American History, Washington, D .

Picture

Monroe Doctrine desk

Desk

Monroe Doctrine desk

Presidential tenant(s)

James Monroe

Notes

All of the White House's furniture was destroyed during the 1814 Burning of Washington. When Monroe moved into the rebuilt presidential mansion he brought many of his own personal furnishings to use in the building. This fall-front desk is one of several pieces of furniture purchased by Monroe when he was in France between 1794 and 1796. While ther

Current location

James Monroe Museum and Memorial Library, Fredericksburg, Virginia

Picture

External image The Monroe Doctrine desk

Desk in the room east of the upstairs oval room

Desk

Desk in the room east of the upstairs oval room

Presidential tenant(s)

John Quincy Adams

Notes

John Quincy Adams had an inventory made of the White House after he became president. This inventory notes a desk in the room east of the upstairs oval room which is assumed to be where his office was.

Andrew Jackson's stand-up desk

Desk

Andrew Jackson's stand-up desk

Presidential tenant(s)

Andrew Jackson

Notes

"A tall awkward desk" with pigeonholes was used by Andrew Jackson in the White House. During the rearrangement of the presidential office rooms in 1865, following the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, the desk was removed from the building and sent off to auction. Andrew Johnson ordered it be returned saying "What ever was Old Hickory's I revere".

Franklin Pierce

Desk

Franklin Pierce

Rutherford B. Hayes

Desk

Rutherford B. Hayes

Buchanan’s Teakwood Desk

Desk

Buchanan’s Teakwood Desk

Presidential tenant(s)

James Buchanan

Notes

This intricately carved pedestal desk was given to Buchanan, upon winning the presidential nomination in 1856, from friends that lived in India he had met while he was Minister to Russia in the 1830s. Buchanan had the desk shipped to the White House so it would be there when he arrived on his first day as President.

Current location

Sitting Room, Wheatland, Lancaster, Pennsylvania

Picture

Table

Desk

Table

Presidential tenant(s)

Abraham Lincoln

Notes

Lincoln's office was located in the southeastern upstairs corner of the White House. While a large "council table" was the centerpiece of the room, a second table was located at the southern end which Lincoln used as his desk.

Picture

Patent Revolving Secretary

Desk

Patent Revolving Secretary

Presidential tenant(s)

Ulysses S. Grant

Notes

Julia Dent Grant, unhappy with the furnishings of the White House, received a $25,000 (equivalent to $604,688 in 2025) appropriation from congress to update the interiors. While redecorating the cabinet room she purchased a "Patent Revolving Secretary", from Pottier & Stymus. This secretary was a patent Wooton desk with a carved eagle and shield on

Current location

White House collection

Picture

Resolute desk

Desk

Resolute desk

Presidential tenant(s)

Rutherford B. Hayes

Notes

After receiving the desk in 1880, Hayes placed it in the Green Room on exhibition until it was taken upstairs to his office on the second floor. Grover Cleveland used the desk in his office and library in what is now the Yellow Oval Room for both of his non-consecutive terms. William McKinley used the desk often in the Presidential Office and had a

Current location

Oval Office, The White House, Washington, D .

Picture

Grover Cleveland

Desk

Grover Cleveland

William McKinley

Desk

William McKinley

Theodore Roosevelt

Desk

Theodore Roosevelt

Secretary desk

Desk

Secretary desk

Presidential tenant(s)

Chester A. Arthur

Notes

The design of the White House was not to Arthur's taste. He had unfashionable and damaged furniture removed, selling off twenty-four wagon loads of furniture and thirty barrels of china. He commissioned Associated Artists, where Louis Comfort Tiffany was a partner, to redesign several rooms. The White House Historical Association claims no furnitur

Picture

Desk	Presidential tenant(s)	Notes	Current location	Picture
Washington's writing desk	George Washington	Used by Washington in Federal Hall. After Federal Hall was demolished in 1812, the desk found its way to Bellevue Almshouse. This "horrified" the City Council who had it moved to the Governor's Room in 1844 where it has remained since.	Governor's Room, New York City Hall, New York
Washington's presidential desk	George Washington	Used by Washington in his office in the President's House, the executive mansion at the time. This desk is now in the collection of the Philadelphia History Museum, which has been closed to the public since 2018.	Philadelphia History Museum, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania	External image George Washington desk
Declaration of Independence Desk	Thomas Jefferson	This portable desk made by Benjamin Randolph was used by Thomas Jefferson as he wrote the United States Declaration of Independence. Jefferson continued to use this desk through his time as president.	American Democracy exhibition, National Museum of American History, Washington, D .
Monroe Doctrine desk	James Monroe	All of the White House's furniture was destroyed during the 1814 Burning of Washington. When Monroe moved into the rebuilt presidential mansion he brought many of his own personal furnishings to use in the building. This fall-front desk is one of several pieces of furniture purchased by Monroe when he was in France between 1794 and 1796. While ther	James Monroe Museum and Memorial Library, Fredericksburg, Virginia	External image The Monroe Doctrine desk
Desk in the room east of the upstairs oval room	John Quincy Adams	John Quincy Adams had an inventory made of the White House after he became president. This inventory notes a desk in the room east of the upstairs oval room which is assumed to be where his office was.
Andrew Jackson's stand-up desk	Andrew Jackson	"A tall awkward desk" with pigeonholes was used by Andrew Jackson in the White House. During the rearrangement of the presidential office rooms in 1865, following the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, the desk was removed from the building and sent off to auction. Andrew Johnson ordered it be returned saying "What ever was Old Hickory's I revere".
	Franklin Pierce
	Rutherford B. Hayes
Buchanan’s Teakwood Desk	James Buchanan	This intricately carved pedestal desk was given to Buchanan, upon winning the presidential nomination in 1856, from friends that lived in India he had met while he was Minister to Russia in the 1830s. Buchanan had the desk shipped to the White House so it would be there when he arrived on his first day as President.	Sitting Room, Wheatland, Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Table	Abraham Lincoln	Lincoln's office was located in the southeastern upstairs corner of the White House. While a large "council table" was the centerpiece of the room, a second table was located at the southern end which Lincoln used as his desk.
Patent Revolving Secretary	Ulysses S. Grant	Julia Dent Grant, unhappy with the furnishings of the White House, received a $25,000 (equivalent to $604,688 in 2025) appropriation from congress to update the interiors. While redecorating the cabinet room she purchased a "Patent Revolving Secretary", from Pottier & Stymus. This secretary was a patent Wooton desk with a carved eagle and shield on	White House collection
Resolute desk	Rutherford B. Hayes	After receiving the desk in 1880, Hayes placed it in the Green Room on exhibition until it was taken upstairs to his office on the second floor. Grover Cleveland used the desk in his office and library in what is now the Yellow Oval Room for both of his non-consecutive terms. William McKinley used the desk often in the Presidential Office and had a	Oval Office, The White House, Washington, D .
	Grover Cleveland
	William McKinley
	Theodore Roosevelt
Secretary desk	Chester A. Arthur	The design of the White House was not to Arthur's taste. He had unfashionable and damaged furniture removed, selling off twenty-four wagon loads of furniture and thirty barrels of china. He commissioned Associated Artists, where Louis Comfort Tiffany was a partner, to redesign several rooms. The White House Historical Association claims no furnitur

References

President Richard Nixon, with Henry Kissinger and John Wayne, sitting at the unnamed mahogany desk in his office at La C
Herbert Hoover used the Theodore Roosevelt desk until the 1929 West Wing fire. After the reconstruction of the Oval Offi
Several additional presidents are noted to have used an old stand-up desk, but sources do not explicitly name these desk
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http://www.furniturecityhistory.org/article/3971/president-hoovers-executive-of
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