This Solid Mahogany Presidential Resolute Desk is a gorgeous replica of the famous desk used in the Oval Office of the White House. The original desk was presented to President Rutherford B. Hayes by Queen Victoria as a gesture of appreciation after the United States returned HMS Resolute, a British Arctic exploration ship that became trapped in the ice while searching for Rear Admiral Sir John Franklin and the legendary Northwest Passage.
After years passed with no word from Franklin or his crew, Britain launched multiple search expeditions to uncover the fate of the mission. HMS Resolute was one of the ships sent into the Arctic, but in August 1853 it became locked in an ice flow. When the ship remained frozen in place the following spring, it was ordered abandoned. Although the British government still considered the vessel its property, no salvage effort was made.
In September 1855, the ship was found drifting by an American whaling vessel. It was brought to New London, Connecticut, later purchased by the U.S. government, restored, and returned to Great Britain in 1856. HMS Resolute was ultimately retired in 1879, and its timbers were preserved for reuse.
From those historic timbers, Queen Victoria commissioned four desks. One was given to President Hayes in 1880 and became an enduring symbol of American history, later serving many Presidents in the Oval Office, including Franklin D. Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Barack Obama, and Donald Trump.
Our Resolute Presidential Desk is handcrafted from plantation-grown, certified legal solid mahogany. Indonesian mahogany is highly workable and ideal for detailed carving, making it the perfect material for the intricate design elements that define this remarkable desk. It can be customized in a variety of stains and finishes, and is available with either a plain wood top or optional leather inlays.
