Presidential Pens

[Rhonlynn]

As I read on the FPN, I found my niche. It's been covered here several times, but the website links don't often work.

I think it'd be interesting to get a replica of pens (some are classics, still made. Some aren't fountain pens), the presidents used to sign bills. I want all politics put aside.

 

It's not cheap, but it's interesting. I watched a video of Obama write, He seems to trace his letters with his fingers, then sign.

 

I'm going to do a Google search tomorrow, no time today, I don't be near a computer. Any helpful links?

 

-Rhonda

[Mags]

The www.examiner.com had a recent article you may enjoy. Jan 2013

 

 

A teaser from the site and a March article is:

 

The pen that is used today by President Obama is the black lacquered Cross Townsend rolling ball pens at a cost of $130.00 each.

[Florida Blue]

George W. Bush also used a lacquered Cross Townsend rollerball to sign bills. His was navy blue with gold plated trim.

 

Lyndon B. Johnson used Esterbrook dipless pens and Parker 45s. I believe he also used Esterbrook Safaris.

 

JFK used Esterbrook dipless pens as well.

 

Parker put out an ad in the 1990s that showed Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev signing the INF Treaty in 1987 with the caption "The Pen of Presidents." They used Parker 75s.

 

President George H.W Bush used a Parker Duofold to sign a Joint Understanding of arms reduction with Boris Yeltsin in 1992. That photo was also used in a Parker ad.

 

According to this link from the JFK Presidential Library his favorite bill signing pen was a Parker Jotter:

http://store.jfklibrary.org/john-f-kennedy-parker-jotter-pen/paaaiacnmfeikfdc/product

[Rhonlynn]

That's just fascinating to me. I saw a picture, hand drawn, of Lincoln with a quill pen.

 

Obama, though, is left handed, and used a Cross roller ball. And somewhere I saw one of the presidents used a Parker 51.

 

I looked up Esterbrook on Ebay. There's a dip or dipless pen floating around Ebay that Lyndon B. Johnson used. It wasn't fancy. It might have been an Esterbrook. I'm not sure. How do you know if yu buy one on Ebay that the president actually used it?

 

I ordered an Obama signature pen on Ebay from a guy who lives in Washington DC., they have them at the Whitehouse. And I'll go to the Truman library whenever.

 

I would get a JFK pen and never use it, ever. I'm trying to figure out how to display them on the wall, like a display case. I'll order one, thanks so much for the link. On Ebay there's JFK assassination date pens with his statue on them. I've been to the 6th floor in Dallas, but I wasn't into pens as much as I am now.

 

Parker 75s is on my list.

 

I'm surprised no one has written an account of the pens the presidents used.

Edited April 15, 2014 by Rhonlynn

[Florida Blue]

And somewhere I saw one of the presidents used a Parker 51.

 

 

Both Harry Truman and Dwight Eisenhower used Parker 51s. They were personal pens, so I'm not sure if they ever used them to sign bills.

 

However, Eisenhower signed the armistice with Germany ending the Western Front of WWII with two Parker 51s given to him by the company for the occasion. He used 51s throughout his presidency including a buckskin beige model with a solid gold "Coronet" cap and a plain black desk set. Truman had one in Nassua Green. Those pens are pictured in the Parker 51 book including the one used to sign the armistice with Germany.

[Rhonlynn]

I've got to get a Parker 51 catalog, even if I need to pay for it.

[welch]

 

Both Harry Truman and Dwight Eisenhower used Parker 51s. They were personal pens, so I'm not sure if they ever used them to sign bills.

 

However, Eisenhower signed the armistice with Germany ending the Western Front of WWII with two Parker 51s given to him by the company for the occasion. He used 51s throughout his presidency including a buckskin beige model with a solid gold "Coronet" cap and a plain black desk set. Truman had one in Nassua Green. Those pens are pictured in the Parker 51 book including the one used to sign the armistice with Germany.

 

Note that Ike was a friend of Kenneth Parker. Even though Parker's factories had shifted to war-production, Ken Parker made sure that Eisenhower had a P51 or two.

[Rhonlynn]

I took Parker for granted forever, until now. I look at them totally different.They need to write a history account of their pens.

[Sasha Royale]

I have a blue Parker 45, bearing the signature of Richard M. Nixon. I once saw a photo of the ballpoint pen used by

President Truman's White House. It was blue and gray, and resembled a drugstore pen I bought in 1960. The Truman

pen was $10 in 1945 ! (cutting edge technology)

 

Such "bill-signing" pens are ordered in quantity, and kept in a locked cabinet. At the end of each administration, an

aide has the assignment to collect and destroy the pens. This I got from a woman,whose mother had the task in 1963.

It was a tough job, since Kennedy's pen usage was cut short. She did her job, but slipped one of the Esterbrook desk

pens into her purse.

[Tasmith]

President Woodrow Wilson's pen he used to sign the Declaration of War for the US entry into WWI.

 

 

 

 

[Morbus Curiositas]

Hello as you might know the the Nuclear Securtiy Summit 2014 was held in The Hague The Netherlands

 

a lot of Presidents, Kings and Ministers attented and all received the Special NSS Cross Townsend Fountain Pen.

 

Quite a pity though tat good old Obama uses a Biro yeach :-(

( But maybe you could teach him ;-).

 

Very nice Topic you started. I am a history fan and will do a research which Presidents and Royals used what Fountain Pens... (Will also write the press agency of my Dutch royals to find out more)

 

Koning

Jordanië - koning Abdullah

 

Sjeik

Verenigde Arabische Emiraten - Sjeik Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan

 

(Vice-) Presidenten

Armenië - Serzj Sarkisian

 

Azerbeidzjan - Ilham Alijev

 

China - Xi Jinping

 

Finland - Sauli Niinistö

 

Frankrijk - François Hollande

 

Gabon - Ali Bongo Ondimba

 

Kazachstan - Noersoeltan Nazarbajev

 

Litouwen - Dalia Grybauskaité

 

Nigeria - Goodluck Jonathan

 

Roemenië - Traian Basescu

 

Turkije - Abdullah Gül

 

Verenigde Staten - Barack Obama

 

Zuid-Korea - Park Geun-hye

 

Zwitserland - Didier Burkhalter

 

Argentinië - Amado Boudou

 

Brazilië - Michel Temer

 

Indonesië - Boediono

 

Filipijnen - Jejomar Binay

 

(Vice-) Premiers

Algerije - Youcef Yousfi

 

België - Elio Di Rupo

 

Canada - Stephen Harper

 

Denemarken - Helle Thorning-Schmidt

 

Duitsland - Angela Merkel

 

Georgië - Irakli Garibashvili

 

Italië - Matteo Renzi

 

Japan - Shinzo Abe

 

Nieuw-Zeeland - John Key

 

Noorwegen - Erna Solberg

 

Oekraïne - Arseni Jatsenjoek

 

Pakistan - Nawaz Sharif

 

Singapore - Lee Hsien Loong

 

Spanje - Mariano Rajoy

 

Verenigd Koninkrijk - David Cameron

 

Vietnam - Nguyen Tan Dung

 

Zweden - Frederik Reinfeldt

 

Maleisië - Muhyiddin Yassin

 

Tsjechië - Pavel Belobradek

 

Ministers en overige vertegenwoordigers

Australië - Julie Bishop (minister Buitenlandse Zaken)

 

Chili - Heraldo Muñoz (minister Buitenlandse Zaken)

 

Egypte - Hamdi Sanad Loza (onderminister Buitenlandse Zaken)

 

Hongarije - János Martonyi (minister Buitenlandse Zaken)

 

India - Salman Khurshid (minister Buitenlandse Zaken)

 

Israël - Yuval Steinitz (minister Inlichtingen en Strategische Zaken)

 

Marokko - Salaheddine Mezouar (minister van Buitenlandse Zaken)

 

Mexico - Juan Manuel Gómez-Robledo (onderminister Buitenlandse Zaken)

 

Polen - Radoslav Sikorski (minister Buitenlandse Zaken)

 

Rusland - Sergej Lavrov (minister Buitenlandse Zaken)

 

Saudi-Arabië - Hasmin Yamani (energiewetenschapper)

 

Thailand - Sihasak Phuangketkeow (gezant van de premier)

 

Zuid-Afrika - Maite Nkoana-Mashabane (minister Internationale Betrekkingen)

 

Internationale organisaties

Europese Commissie - José Manuel Barosso

 

Europese Raad - Herman van Rompuy

 

Internationaal Atoomenergieagentschap - Yukiya Amano

 

Interpol - Ronald K. Noble

 

Verenigde Naties - Ban Ki-moonHi as you might know lat month the Nuclear Security Summit was held in the Hague.

 

All the worlds leaders received a pen or fountain pen from Royal Akkermans (the luxury stationary shop in The Hague)

 

At the bottom I will post the photos of these pens.

 

Down here is a list of all vistors (Presidents, Kings and Ministers who received the special NSS Cross Townsend (Fountain) Pen.

 

Quite a pity that good old Obama uses a Biro yek :-( (But may be you could teach him using the noble Fountain Pens :-)

 

 

 

Nice topic to start !!! I am a history fan and will do research on which Kings and presidents used what pens. (I will write the press agency of the Dutch Royal family too, maybe our queens and King have used some nice Fountain Pens ;-)

 

Warmest regards and thank you for starting this nice topic...

 

Peter

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Florida Blue]

I took Parker for granted forever, until now. I look at them totally different.They need to write a history account of their pens.

 

Parker and the Parker archives did collaborate with David Shepherd for his series of books: 51, Duofold, Vacumatic and Jotter, but I agree it would be interesting to have a book dedicated to how their pens were involved in important historical moments and used by influential historical figures. Also, welch is correct that Eisenhower was close friends with Kenneth Parker.

 

Parker has a long history of being used by US Presidents and in the White House.

[Rhonlynn]

I found this link:

 

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

 

But the author passed away in 2009. But the history is still there. I emailed them to see if the book was still around.

Edited April 16, 2014 by Rhonlynn

[Moshe ben David]

Rhonlynn,

 

I think you'll find this web page discussion of Parker LE/SE, etc to be of interest: http://parkercollector.com/limitededition.html

 

It discusses some of the Parker pens made for presidents as well as a wide range of other Parker pens made for foreign dignitaries as well as an array of international diplomatic symposia, etc etc.

[grahamtillotson]

Recently saw the episode of "House of Cards" where Kevin Spacey snubs the Vice President at a bill signing and gets a Cross Townsend. Later on the Vice President steals one of the signing pens from a cup on a desk. Very funny.

 

Graham

[pengoddess]

Rhonlynn - It looks like the updates on John Loring's website are just that, additions to the book (copyright 1999) he wrote which has very extensive information on Presidentail pens for the first 50 years. This was a self-published book, so I don't know how many copies were printed or if John made copies as needed, but it very useful and has well researched information. I'm thinking your best bet is just to get the word out you are looking for one and sooner or later a collector will let their go or it will turn up at a pen show or even on eBay. John's daughter was at one time tending to his website and selling off his collections of which Presidential Pens were just a very small part, even as late as about a year ago, but I'm not sure she is still doing so.

 

Sam

 

 

I found this link:

 

http://www.loringpag...bookupdate.html

 

But the author passed away in 2009. But the history is still there. I emailed them to see if the book was still around.

[bbshriver]

Related but different, also note that Parker is the only pen company that holds a royal warrant in the UK, since 1962.

http://rwha.bwdata.co.uk/RWHAPublic/RWHA_Public_Search_Detail.php?companyid=0013000000uKMqZAAW

[Mr. Pink]

I saw a picture, hand drawn, of Lincoln with a quill pen.

 

 

I don't think that would be a very accurate drawing unless it was a drawing of a very young Lincoln. During his terms in office, he used steel nibs.

 

However, there is one studio photograph with what looks to be a quill on the desk, but that was a studio prop.

 

The most famous drawing of Lincoln with a quill was a sketch by Thomas Nast from 1865 which shows Lincoln writing "from the front" on a drum head. Of course it is a totally stylized drawing.

Edited April 22, 2014 by Charles Rice

[erpe]

Obama is using quite a number of custom made (signature) Cross Townsends

 

Edited April 22, 2014 by erpe

[Rhonlynn]

The next one I buy might be a Cross Townsend...I'd love to get a pen that says :43rd president, Barack Obama." I have his souvenir signature pen that is cobalt blue. You can buy them on Ebay and at the White House store. The library sites have alot of information. I've yet to go to the Truman Library. The signature pen isn't a fountain pen, but it's a keeper. I'll get something to display them in as well.

Edited April 22, 2014 by Rhonlynn