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What fountain pens have U.S. Presidents used?


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Just wondering what pens have the U.S. Presidents used. I remember seeing some information from Parker that JFK used a Parker 51. Does anyone know what previous presidents have used? Also, what fountain pens are used by leaders of other countries.

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Former President Clinton used a Platinum Very Presidential.

"The only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun." - Wayne LaPierre, NRA Executive Vice President

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Yup, there's plenty of old newsreel footage showing President Kennedy using a Parker 51.

 

President Eisenhower also used Parker 51s.

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Sidney, is that actually the name of the pen "Platinum Very Presidential", or am I missing a joke? :(

Scottish007

What Would William Wallace Do? (WWWWD)

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Sidney, is that actually the name of the pen "Platinum Very Presidential", or am I missing a joke? :(

nope I think that's what the pen is called. I also remember he got an Artaud lost wax monstrosity and used that as well.

 

Kurt H

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..

Edited by Moondrop

"We have only one thing to give up. Our dominion. We don't own the world. We're not kings yet. Not gods. Can we give that up? Too precious, all that control? Too tempting, being a god?"

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Platinum Presidential and Very Presidential

 

I realize that this information may have already been posted, but I don't get to my computer everyday. :(

Edited by Sidney

"The only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun." - Wayne LaPierre, NRA Executive Vice President

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When the President signs a bill, they usually use a new pen that is only used for that bill, and sometimes engraved just for that purpose. Often it gets given away, usually to someone who was significant in the creation or instigation of the bill, or who is otherwise symbolicly related to the bill. Not sure if those are usually Fountain Pens or not, but it does leave room for a lot of pens used by the president.

 

I think I remember seeing a very fancy Cross Townsend FP that was used by George HW Bush to sign a bill being sold on E-bay at one time.

 

J. Appleseed

So if you have a lot of ink,

You should get a Yink, I think.

 

- Dr Suess

 

Always looking for pens by Baird-North, Charles Ingersoll, and nibs marked "CHI"

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Stylus had an article on the Presidential pens of the past few decades. I think that Parker has some sort of exclusive for supply of these as they were parkers at least back to Lyndon Johnson.

 

Clinton might have used a VPres on a certain occasion, but if I recall, Parker has the lock. I don't think any of the recent pens were FP's though. I'll see if I can dig it up.

Edited by KendallJ

Kendall Justiniano
Who is John Galt?

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Esterbrook dip-less pens were popular during the JFK and LBJ eras. In fact, up until about five years ago, you could still buy them from the LBJ library. They were marked on the clear tail, "The President - The White House". I recently discovered they were also made for US Senators, with the marking, "United States Senator".

 

Sticking with the esterbrook theme, I believe I also saw a picture of an Esterbrook CX-100 with a presidents name and the presidential seal on it. Couldn't have lasted very long, the CX-100 is a pretty yucky pen.

 

Frank Dubiel, rest his soul, would be the first to point out that JFK used a black snorkle. I recall Frank's story as told on ACPP, that he was in the car with his father and JFK one day and saw JFK take out his black snorkle and take notes.

 

Best-

Brian

www.esterbrook.net All Esterbrook, All the Time.
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I was reading about this a few months ago on www.kamakurapens.com

 

This is a pretty good site for information on Japanese Fountain Pens. I found it to be very informative and lots of nice articles and pictures

 

Presidential Pens

 

The Noble Savage

Check Out my Fountain Pen and Ink Review Sites

Fountain Pen Reviews

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Who makes the Platinium Presidential Pen, that Clinton used. I couldn't tell from the picture, though it looked like a waterman?

 

Thanks,

John

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John,

 

I believe it is the Platinum Pen Company

 

Perry

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Just wondering what pens have the U.S. Presidents used. I remember seeing some information from Parker that JFK used a Parker 51. Does anyone know what previous presidents have used? Also, what fountain pens are used by leaders of other countries.

 

Of all the recent presidents, few have used pens as often as President Reagan. I am not sure that all were fountain pens, but I believe they were. (His signature was by fountain pen.) Most days he answered several letters in his own hand. Many of these have been collected in a book by Kiron Skinner and others, "Reagan in His Own Hand." He also wrote many of his speeches and television talks in his own hand--this time on yellow legal pads, which were then transcribed by his secretaries. (Yes, he had a lot of speech writers, but he often either added to them or, at times, re-wrote a suggested speech himself.)

 

I do not know what pen he used. Perhaps someone else knows, or can find out at their next visit to the Reagan Library in California.

 

As for presidents of other countries, I would note that former President Mitterand of France used a large Montblanc Meisterstueck when he was meeting foreign dignataries. It probably was a gift from his German counterpart, but acceptable to him because of its French name.

 

As for official documents such as laws and treaties, these are always signed by special pens that are then given to people involved or, in the case of treaties, exchanged with the other person who signed. Sometimes different pens are used for different copies so there will be several to go around.

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Conway Stewart 58 sets were presented to all G8 leaders when Tony Blair hosted it. Both George W. Bush and Bill Clinton have Conway Stewarts. I'm not sure if there is any evidence that they use them.

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