Press Release - May 3, 2006 Dallas, Texas: There are some personal items that we, as Americans, associate with our Presidents. Abraham Lincoln's stovepipe hat would be one example, as would Dwight D. Eisenhower's golf clubs. One of the items most associated with John Fitzgerald Kennedy would have to be his rocking chairs - he had several - that were a part of the White House furnishings, and in which he can be seen in many of the photos taken during his tenure as President. "Kennedy suffered from well-documented back problems," said Tom Slater, Director of Americana auctions for Dallas-based Heritage Auction Galleries, "which led him to consult Dr. Janet Trevell in New York City in 1954. Trevell recommended the use of a rocking chair, and allowed Kennedy to try the one she used for personal back relief in her own office. JFK liked the chair so much that he ordered an identical one, from the P & P Co. of Asheboro, North Carolina. Over the years, he bought or was gifted approximately 14 virtually identical chairs from that maker for use in the Oval Office, on Air Force One, in his suite at New York's Carlisle Hotel, in his White House bedroom, and other documented locations.

Chairs from the presidential years may be distinguished by the unique upholstery added by official White House upholsterer Larry Arata, who used thick arm pads and seat cushion. In fact, the chair that we're presenting in our upcoming auction still has the original Arata upholstery." Slater continued, "It is well documented that Mrs. Jaqueline Kennedy gave the rocker from Jack's White House bedroom to his longtime valet George Thomas in December, 1963. Jackie's longtime personal secretary, Mary Barreli Gallagher, wrote poignantly of the event in her 1969 memoir My Life with Jacqueline Kennedy (David McKay Co., New York, 1969). She was helping Mrs. Kennedy apportion various highly personal mementos among the late president's close associates, and notes that Mrs. Kennedy assigned the rocking chair from the White House bedroom to Thomas, telling Gallagher, 'It was always in his (JFK's) bedroom. I know he would want George to have it.'" "The chair remained with George Thomas until his death in 1980," Slater said, "and it was subsequently purchased from his family.

Furthermore, some skilled sleuthing has clearly established this present chair to be the one from Kennedy's bedroom. The chair's owner commissioned the respected Boston furniture conservation firm of Robert Mussey Associates, Inc. to investigate this particular rocker, and their August 10, 2005 report reached some impressive conclusions. While all the other chairs in this style were manufactured by the aforementioned P & P Co., this one carries a manufacturer's plaque from 'M. Havat & Bros./ Peshawan/ Pakistan.' While nearly identical to the P & P versions, the Havat chair differs in important respects that help establish its White House provenance. Exhaustive research by the Mussey firm turned up August 1963 photographs of the President's bedroom at the Kennedy library. The unique details of the chair in that photograph clearly match those of the present Havat Bros. chair. In addition, it still has the original and quite unique Arata upholstery. Apparently, the chair continued in use for years after it was given to Thomas by Mrs. Kennedy, as the upholstery is now much more worn and soiled than when it was in the White House."

"The President of Pakistan, Ayub Khan, visited the Kennedy White House twice," Slater said, "and in 1962 Mrs. Kennedy made an extensive state tour of India and Pakistan. Khan made numerous state gifts to the Kennedys and Mussey speculates that perhaps, having noted how highly the president prized his unique rocker, Khan obtained the specifications in order to have one made of native Pakistani wood as a gift to Kennedy. waiting room chair hireHowever, no documentation to support this plausible theory was encountered. tables and chairs south park buffaloNonetheless, the unique details and Arata upholstery clearly confirms that the chair being offered is the one from the White House bedroom."buy peacock chair online

Several of JFK's rocking chairs have previously appeared on the auction market, and have proven among the most sought-after and highly valued of Kennedy relics. At the famous 1996 New York Auction of Jacqueline Kennedy's possessions, two Kennedy rockers were sold, one for $442,500, and one for $453,500. best rocking chair canadaIn a 1998 auction, the rocker from Kennedy's suite at the Carlisle Hotel fetched $332,500, while an example lacking its Arata upholstery sold at the 2005 auction of Kennedy Family Property for "only" $96,000 against an estimate of $20,000-$30,000. plastic garden chair makeoverThe famed Robert White Collection, auctioned in New York in 2005, contained two Kennedy rockers. modern baby shower chair rentals nyc

The better one was actually withdrawn from the sale, while the lesser example sold for $60,000 plus the buyer's premium. "We feel that the chair offered in our upcoming auction is an especially desirable one, both because it is a unique example, and because its use by Kennedy in his private White House bedroom gives it a closer personal connection to JFK than many of the other Kennedy rockers," said Slater.table and chairs laura ashley "In addition to the rocking chair," Slater said, "we're also pleased to offer JFK's personally owned and used golf bag. metal folding chair rubber feetAlthough Kennedy loved golf, and was quite good at it, he was acutely aware that some Americans had become disenchanted with Dwight D. Eisenhower's methodical devotion to the game. salon chair for short stylists

Kennedy was almost maniacal about his refusal to allow photographers to snap his picture while holding a putter or driver." "The golf bag offered in our upcoming auction, unlike another sold with a set of clubs at auction for a high six-figure price several years ago, shows years of loving use," Slater commented. "The tan canvas is soiled, the leather trim appropriately worn. The documentation for the bag is impeccable: It was given to Mary Barelli Gallagher by Mrs. Jacqueline Kennedy in the White House in June of 1963, during the same round of "spring cleaning" that resulted in the rocking chair's gifting to George Thomas. The bag had been in storage for quite some time, so was doubtless used by Kennedy during his senatorial years." "Turning to the darker side of Kennedy's history," Slater said, "we are also offering a superb collection of documents relating to the autopsy of Lee Harvey Oswald, the man the Warren Commission found was responsible for the President's assassination.

This collection includes a carbon copy of the toxicology report, signed in ink by the Dallas County Toxicologist, a Blood Alcohol Report, also signed in ink, and a carbon of the completed 'Authorized Permit for Autopsy' issued to the Pathology Dept. of Parkland Memorial Hospital, and asserting that 'upon my own determination...this autopsy is necessary.' Signed by Justice of the Peace Pierce McBride, the document shows that five copies were made, for law enforcement and county government agencies, and this is McBride's own copy. The final item is interesting in that it helps to identify these as McBride's own copies; a December 3, 1963, typed note from his secretary, Celeste, addressed 'Judge:' and relating to McBride a message from Paul McGroody of the funeral home: 'Mr. Carroll, head of the Bureau of Vital Statistics in Austin, said you would be in the clear in signing the death certificate, Secret Service and anyone else concerned will not give permission to exhume body for cremation.

You are the only one who could have the authority to sign the certificates and they are not expecting any further situation to arise on the cremation.'" "I cannot recall seeing any other official documents relating to Oswald's death being offered on the market," said Slater, "and this group certainly lends a sense of reality to the process of dealing with the infamous remains. These are incredibly important documents for the Kennedy collector or historian, and after this auction, they may not be available to the public at large for a very long time." The Kennedy Rocking chair bears a pre-auction estimate of $100,000 & up. The Kennedy Golf Bag has a pre-auction estimate of $40,000 & up. The Lee Harvey Oswald Autopsy documents carry a pre-auction estimate of $8,000 & up. President John F.Kennedy's Personal Rocking Chair from his White House Bedroom Important John F. Kennedy Personally Owned and Used Golf Bag, with Impeccable Provenance Lee Harvey Oswald: An Important Group of Documents Relating to the Autopsy of John F. Kennedy's Assassin