President Kennedy's Esterbrook?

[Sasha Royale]

Each administration chooses its "White House" pen. Nixon's was the Parker 45. Truman selected a, then cutting-edge, ballpoint pen.

 

(Are you ready for some pain ?)

At the end of each administration, a trusted staffer is assigned to destroy the remaining, unused inventory. JFK "White House" pens are scarce.

[OcalaFlGuy]

(Are you ready for some pain ?)

At the end of each administration, a trusted staffer is assigned to destroy the remaining, unused inventory. JFK "White House" pens are scarce.

 

If you get the chance, check out CNN's 2 hr Special on the Assassination. It's one of the best I've seen. They use almost ALL period footage, most of that being not often seen Local Dallas TV coverage. (I about busted a gut when the Very "Neck" Texas Attorney General said that "Jack Ruby should be given the Congressional Medal of Honor for shooting that damn communist."

 

The part relative to this thread is, they discuss the hanging of all the black mourning bunting at the White House. The White House was Very Quickly STERILIZED of ALL things Kennedy. I presume that also means the pens in question. The Johnson's moved into the White House just 2 weeks after the assassination.

 

Bruce in Ocala, Fl

[pen lady]

On PBS's Antiques Roadshow recently, the photographer who took the picture of LBJ taking the oath on Air Force 1 came in with a copy of that photo signed by LBJ and a photo of him signing the first pic. He was using a Sheaffer desk pen.

[ANM]

Each administration chooses its "White House" pen. Nixon's was the Parker 45. Truman selected a, then cutting-edge, ballpoint pen.

 

(Are you ready for some pain ?)

At the end of each administration, a trusted staffer is assigned to destroy the remaining, unused inventory. JFK "White House" pens are scarce.

Truman, Eisenhower, Kennedy and for a time Johnson used Esterbrook dipless pens for signing bills. Presidents also handed out pens to visitors and friends that were not the Esterbrooks used for bill signing. Trumans ballpoint was two boxes of shiny new pens, the gift of an anonymous admirer. On each was stamped the same inscription he uses on his match folders: "I swiped this from Harry S. Truman." It is reported that he enjoyed giving those out. These were not the dipless pens he handed out to participants at each bill signing ceremony. Presidents had a wide variety of pens that they gave out for special occasions or as mementos of occasions other than bill signing. I believe Nixon had several, one of Johnson's included even a bic. The Bill signers were reserved only for signing bills.

 

Sometimes the last of a presidents bill signers would be used up or at least used while awaiting a new shipment from the General Supply office. There are some instances of overlap. I believe there is some record or a few JFK pens being used by Johnson. Of course with Johnson as subsequent presidents, when they started using pens with his signature and not just "the President, The White House, the new president didn't use any pens with the previous presidents name stamped on the pen.

 

http://www.loringpage.com/attpensetc/penbookupdateAPPENDIX.html

 

and

 

http://www.loringpage.com/attpensetc/penbookupdate.html

 

These two sites contain a lot of information about presidential pens.

Edited November 18, 2013 by ANM

[ANM]

PS all presidential bill signers are scarce except Johnsons because until him, they were only given to people who were invited to bill signing ceremonies. Johnson pens are more common because 1. during his presidency, most of his Esterbrooks remained unused as he switched to felt markers and 2. when he left the White House, he took all the unused pens with him and sold them as souvenir at his presidential library. Anyone who visited his library could buy one.

[tmenyc]

I put up a topic last summer, which I can't find at the moment, showing closeups of the fp's in the Kennedy Library exhibits and photographs. He was definitely a

Sheaffers guy, but bills were signed with blocks of Esterbrook dip pens like the one pictured in this post. Bobby Kennedy, however, had a Parker 45 on his desk.

Tim

[JFKFP]

The Pen He Used to Sign the 1963 Nuclear Test Ban Treaty.

President Kennedy to use the correct Bill Signing Pen 43mm during his presidency not just as LBJ said here several times

[JFKFP]

6-3/8" nib-tip pen with clear acrylic handle embossed "THE PRESIDENT - THE WHITE HOUSE" in white. Still in its original cellophane sleeve and paperboard slip box. Presented to Judge James Rogan by Evelyn Lincoln, personal Secretary to JFK, in 1985.

[ANM]

 

Quote from http://www.loringpag...bookupdate.html states that 43 mm imprints are only Johnson pens. There was some overlap of pens used at the beginning of a president's term. Johnson used a few of Kennedy's pens before switching to his 43mm. pens. No 43mm pens were used by Kennedy.

The 43 millimeter imprintings with both placements have been definitely been found tied in very large number to the LBJ Administration and are not difficult to find. The 39/40mm white imprinting variety has been found used by JFK and also by LBJ within a month of the assassination and thus most certainly came from the JFK pen supply. Several 37mm and 39/40mm pens have been found that were used by JFK. The white 33/34 millimeters imprinting has been found tied to 1956 and 1958, i.e. the DDE Administration. I have nothing to tie the gold 33/34 millimeters imprinting to any specific time. All of this would suggest that the 33/34 mm variations are tied primarily to DDE with some overlap to JFK; the 37mm and 39/40mm variations are tied primarily to JFK with some overlap of the white 39/40 variation to LBJ; and the 43 millimeters variations are tied only to LBJ.

(The overlaps occurring because of newly inaugurated presidents using their predecessors remaining supply of pens)

 

 

edited to add, I am pretty sure that a pen that is still in it's cellophane bag and Esterbrook box was never used by a president to sign any bill. If it is 43 mm imprint and was never placed in a presidential presentation box with provenance included to attest to what bill it was used for, it was left over from Johnson's presidency when he switched to using fiber tip bill signers.

Edited July 28, 2015 by ANM

[FarmBoy]

6-3/8" nib-tip pen with clear acrylic handle embossed "THE PRESIDENT - THE WHITE HOUSE" in white. Still in its original cellophane sleeve and paperboard slip box. Presented to Judge James Rogan by Evelyn Lincoln, personal Secretary to JFK, in 1985.

One would think they could afford a 9xxx nib...