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Furniture that Made History:  JFK’s Rocking Chair

Furniture that Made History: JFK’s Rocking Chair

Jan 6th 2022

What do all rocking chair enthusiasts have in common? Did JFK actually rock in his rocking chair? Should we all have a rocking chair for the betterment of our mental health? We made it our mission to find out.

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I had a friend growing up who couldn’t help but rock in every single chair. Even if it was a stationary chair, he would do small movements back and forth. If anyone ever called him on it, he would just simply respond, “Oh, yeah, I rock.” Cue laughter. He was also always calm and seemed to take a couple extra seconds to respond when asked controversial or emotional questions. I attribute these qualities to his consistent rocking.

I can’t help but think that those who “rock” are often self soothers and mostly even tempered. Think about it: can you imagine an angry mob boss rocking in a rocking chair? Of course not. It just doesn’t make sense. Therefore, all rockers must be calm people.

There’s something so lovely about looking at photos of President John F. Kennedy sitting in his rocking chair. Despite the high stakes of the everyday life of being a whole country’s leader, he truly looks calm, collected, and humble.

Source: JFK Library

Important meeting in the Oval Office? He’s sitting in the rocking chair. Trying to solve a world problem? He’s sitting in the rocking chair. Meeting with the Prime Minister of Australia? He’s sitting in the rocking chair. Originally prescribed by his doctor to help solve his back problems, his chair would go on to become a truly iconic furniture choice for the young president.

We could’ve tried to tell you all the details about this famous rocking chair, where JFK got it, how many he had, etc. (P&P Chair company and 14, respectively), but really what we hope you get from this article is that when you aren’t sure how to handle the world’s problems, maybe take a few minutes to sit and rock. It sure seemed to work for JFK.

If you don’t have a rocking chair, we highly recommend you pick one up. You might just find that it helps you approach your big meetings with an even temperament and calm mind. And, if not, you’ll at least definitely look cool over Zoom.


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Photo Source: JFK Library