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USS Potomac: Franklin Roosevelt's Presidential Yacht
Many presidents have used ships for both relaxation and diplomacy. From fishing to meetings with foreign dignitaries, water travel provides variety and a momentary change of scenery from life and work in the White House. From 1936 to 1945, President Franklin D. Roosevelt enjoyed travel aboard the USS Potomac. The ship, originally named the Electra, was built in 1934 as a Coast Guard
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The Wings of Franklin Roosevelt
The first president to travel by airplane was actually a former president. On October 11, 1910, Theodore Roosevelt accompanied aviator Archibald Hoxsey for a short flight during the International Aviation Meet at Kinloch Field outside St. Louis, Missouri. The two men took off and circled the airfield twice in “three minutes and twenty seconds.” An enthusiastic Roosevelt waved at the crowds on the
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The "Sunshine Special"
During Franklin Roosevelt’s twelve years as president, cars were a source of transportation, visibility, protection, and even amusement. When he contracted polio in 1921 at the age of 39, he had lost almost all use of his legs, meaning that he was no longer able to drive a car.1 As a result, Roosevelt had his private automobiles outfitted with special hand co
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Franklin D. Roosevelt's Train Ferdinand Magellan
Before U.S. Air Force One there was U.S. Train Car Number One, designed for the specifications of President Franklin D. Roosevelt and also used by three other presidents. Presidential security was a priority during World War II. So was Roosevelt’s comfort. But the president did not make it easy on either count. If the security experts had th
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Nellie Arthur in the White House
Nellie Arthur, daughter of President Chester Arthur, did not like the White House when she first took residence there in 1881. She found it “too big and lonesome.” In time, though, she would come to love life in the Executive Mansion.1 Ellen Herndon Arthur was born on November 21, 1871 in New York City; older brother Chester, Jr., was born in 1864. Her parents, Ches
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"A Unique Privilege"
On June 11, 1945, nearly two months into his presidency, Harry Truman wrote to his daughter Margaret: “you evidently are just finding out what a terrible situation the President’s daughter is facing … so you must face it. Keep your balance and go along just as your dad is trying to go.”1 Like many presidential children, Margaret Truman experienced both the benefits and chal
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Christmas with the Roosevelts
The White House has many holiday traditions, some of which are historic and others more recent. New arrivals to the Executive Mansion often bring unique familial rituals that they celebrate alongside time-tested White House and presidential customs. During the holiday season, the president and first lady participate in public traditions such as receiving a tree for the Blue Room, lighting
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Mr. Churchill in the White House
On December 13, 1941, six days after the “infamy” of Pearl Harbor, Winston Churchill boarded the battleship Duke of York bound for America—and the White House. The British prime minister did not return to London until January 17, 1942, and this wartime visit to confer with President Franklin Roosevelt established Churchill’s own “special relationship” with the Executive Mansion at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. He was no longe
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Enslaved and Entrenched
Elias Polk was born into slavery in 1806 on a farm owned by Samuel Polk, father of the future president of the United States, in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina. Later that year, Elias moved with the Polk family west to Tennessee, where they settled on land near Spring Hill (about 40 miles south of Nashville).1 In 1824, newlyweds James and Sarah Polk were
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The Life and Presidency of Harry S. Truman
The White House Historical Association’s 2018 White House Christmas Ornament honors Harry S. Truman, the thirty-third president of the United States. This ornament is designed to illustrate three significant changes made by President Truman during his administration, one to the Presidential Seal, and two to the White House itself. One side of the ornament features his celebrated Truman Balcony, added in
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A Secret Visit
"I wanted to let future generations know the man for what he was, a metaphor of America at a crossroads, not just handsome Jack.”- Aaron Shikler1On November 22, 1963, President John F. Kennedy’s life was tragically cut short in Dallas, Texas. A state funeral was quickly planned and the nation grieved for its commander in chief while the Kennedy fami
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White House Pigeons
As any visitor to Lafayette Square in Washington, D.C. will tell you, pigeons are a universal feature of the environmental landscape surrounding the White House. One reporter even designated the park across from the White House “almost as famous an abode for pigeons as St. Mark’s Square, Venice.” For many years, however, “carrier” pigeons transported messages for many miles, in