President Kennedy Attends a Luncheon for Newspaper Editors and Publishers from Idaho

This photograph of President John F. Kennedy attending a luncheon for newspaper editors and publishers from Idaho was taken by Abbie Rowe on June 15, 1962 in the Old Family Dining Room. Clockwise from left: President Kennedy; editor of the Moscow Idahonian, Louis A. Boas; publisher of the St. Maries Gazette Record, Robert M. Hammes; publisher of the Parma Review, Theron M. Gough; president and publisher of the Lewiston-Clarkson Tribune, A. L. “Bud” Alford; press secretary Pierre Salinger; president and publisher of the Blackfoot News, Drury R. Brown; publisher of the Pocatello State Journal, Hugh A. Wagnon; publisher of the Twin Falls Times-News, John J. “Jack” Mullowney; publisher of the Burley Herald. The recently redecorated room included historic objects from the White House Collection including an early 19th-century French mantel clock with a figure of George Washington and two 19th-century still life paintings by German émigré artist Severin Roesen. From 1825 to 1962, presidents and their families traditionally dined in the Old Family Dining Room. In 1962 with the addition of a new private family dining room on the Second Floor of the White House, the room was repurposed for small official dinners, working lunches, and also serves as a staging area for state dinners. Located on the State Floor of the White House, the room features architectural details such as elegant plasterwork and vaulted ceilings. During the Barack Obama administration, the room was opened to public tours for the first time.