{"product_id":"john-f-kennedy-rocking-chair","title":"John F. Kennedy Rocking Chair","description":"John F. Kennedy’s Rocking Chair\u003cbr\u003e Oak frame with original upholstery\u003cbr\u003e Made by P\u0026amp;P Chair Company, Asheboro, NC\u003cbr\u003e Made in 1961 \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e This extraordinary high-backed rocking chair was personally commissioned for President John F. Kennedy and gifted by him in 1961 to W. Averell Harriman, one of the most consequential American diplomats of the 20th century. Among the small number of rockers made for Kennedy, this is the only fully documented example that the President personally presented as a gift. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Harriman was one of Kennedy’s most trusted advisers, helping secure the 1962 Laos settlement and serving as the President’s personal representative in negotiations that produced the landmark 1963 Limited Test Ban Treaty. Their relationship extended beyond diplomacy; following Kennedy’s assassination, Jacqueline Kennedy and her children stayed at Harriman’s Georgetown home. Few objects of presidential furniture unite Kennedy’s private life, his administration and one of its most important diplomatic relationships so directly. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e The chair’s distinctive form became inseparable from Kennedy’s public image. Chronic back pain stemming in part from injuries sustained during World War II led Kennedy to rely on specially made rockers for support and comfort. This example displays the characteristic high back, woven rush seat, restrained oak frame and elongated rockers associated with the design. Kennedy kept examples at the White House, Camp David and his private residences, and photographs of the youthful President seated in these chairs transformed the silhouette into an enduring symbol of his presidency. The design became so closely identified with him that it remains universally known as the “Kennedy rocker.” \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e The North Carolina P \u0026amp; P Chair Company produced these distinctive chairs for Kennedy and subsequently made related examples for other prominent figures, including President Lyndon B. Johnson and Pope John Paul II. Kennedy’s association with the design elevated an otherwise traditional American rocking chair into an icon of presidential history. This example is further distinguished by a letter of authenticity signed by noted White House upholsterer Norma Arata, its documented descent through Harriman and his wife Pamela Churchill Harriman, and two exhibitions at the Oregon Historical Society. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Circa 1961 \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Measurements: 43 1\/4\" high x 29\" wide x 32 1\/2\" deep \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Provenance:\u003cbr\u003e President John F. Kennedy (1917–1963), 1961\u003cbr\u003e W. Averell Harriman (1891–1986), by gift from the above in 1961\u003cbr\u003e Pamela Harriman (1920–1997), wife of the above\u003cbr\u003e Sotheby’s New York, The Estate of Ambassador Pamela Harriman, May 19–21, 1997, lot 147\u003cbr\u003e Melvin “Pete” Mark, Jr. (1926–2017), Portland, Oregon, acquired from the above\u003cbr\u003e Private collection\u003cbr\u003e M.S. Rau, New Orleans \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Literature:\u003cbr\u003e Robert Wilonsky, “American Treasures,” Intelligent Collector, accessed April 1, 2026, illustrated \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Exhibited:\u003cbr\u003e Portland, Oregon, Oregon Historical Society, Windows on America, June 2013–February 2014\u003cbr\u003e Portland, Oregon, Oregon Historical Society, High Hopes: The Journey of John F. Kennedy, March 25–November 12, 2017","brand":"M.S. Rau","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45682560663687,"sku":"32-2961","price":498500.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0083\/2471\/0466\/files\/32-2961_1.png?v=1787693015","url":"https:\/\/rauantiques.com\/products\/john-f-kennedy-rocking-chair","provider":"M.S. Rau","version":"1.0","type":"link"}