Carolina Rocker
Artifact IDMO 63.1339a
Object Type
Chair, Rocking
Date
ca. 1955
Date PresentedJune 6, 1963
Maker
P & P Chair Company
(American, 1926 - 2008)
Place MadeAsheboro, North Carolina, United States, North America
Medium
Mahogany, cane, textile
DimensionsOverall H 46 in x W 28 in x D 33 in (116.8 cm x 71.1 cm x 83.8 cm )
Physical DescriptionHigh cane back rocking chair of stained mahogany with a detachable cane seat of the herringbone weave. Yellow seat cushions embroidered with USS Kitty Hawk, Commander-in-Chief. Plate on back reads: Presented to President John F. Kennedy by Commander Carrier Division One and USS Kitty Hawk C V A-63 6 June 1963.
Historical NoteOn 6 June 1963, President John F. Kennedy, with top civilian and military leaders, boarded USS Kitty Hawk to witness a carrier task force weapons demonstration off the California coast. Addressing the men of the task group from Kitty Hawk, President Kennedy told them that, as in the past, control of the seas still means security, peace and ultimate victory. It was on the Kitty Hawk that Capt. William F. Bringle and crew presented JFK with this rocking chair which he used in the Oval Office.
Manufactured by P & P Chair Company of Asheboro, North Carolina, this rocking chair was marketed as style number 1000 by the company. It was dubbed the Carolina Rocker by Dr. Janet G. Travell, a New York physician who was a pioneer in the study of muscle pain. In the 1950s Dr. Travell recommended this particular model rocking chair to one of her patients, then-Senator John F. Kennedy, to help ease his chronic back pain. Kennedy was to order several of these chairs from P & P over the years. In 1961, Kennedy appointed Dr. Travell to be the White House Physician. She was the first woman to hold the post.
Additional DetailsManufactured by P & P Chair Company of Asheboro, North Carolina, this rocking chair was marketed as style number 1000 by the company. It was dubbed the Carolina Rocker by Dr. Janet G. Travell, a New York physician who was a pioneer in the study of muscle pain. In the 1950s Dr. Travell recommended this particular model rocking chair to one of her patients, then-Senator John F. Kennedy, to help ease his chronic back pain. Kennedy was to order several of these chairs from P & P over the years. In 1961, Kennedy appointed Dr. Travell to be the White House Physician. She was the first woman to hold the post.
Custodial History NoteItem is from the personal collection of President and Mrs. Kennedy. It was donated to the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum by the Estate of President John F. Kennedy in 1965.
Credit LineJohn F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, Boston, MA; Gift of the Estate of President John F. Kennedy
National Archives Catalog CollectionJohn F. Kennedy Library Museum Collection (National Archives Identifier 1676934)
National Archives Catalog SeriesKennedy Administration Collection 1960-1963 (National Archives Identifier 1676959)
Use Restriction StatusUnrestrictedUse Restriction NoteThis material is not subject to any known copyright or other image use restrictions.Subjects
In Collection(s)
Not on view
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