Kennedy's favorite gift
President John F. Kennedy collected scrimshaw, which is artwork carved into a whale's tooth.
In 1962, for what would be JFK's last Christmas, the First Lady Jackie gave him a 9.5 inch scrimshaw of the presidential seal, made by artist Milton Delano.
It was part of an extensive collection of scrimshaws made by New England whalers, and Kennedy evidently loved it. He had it placed on his desk on a special whale tooth base.
Although Kennedy's collection can be viewed online at the Kennedy library site, Jackie's 1962 present is not there. It was buried with the president after his assassination in November 1963.
Rick Good spent ten years in the newspaper business, including with The News & Observer (Raleigh, NC) and The Greenville News (Greenville, SC). He co-wrote, with Melinda Coleman, Rutledge to Riley: Governors of South Carolina, 1776–Present (Published by The Greenville News), and is the author of Mind Games Trivia #1 (Amazon). He has recently spent 15 years creating original trivia content through Sounds Good Mobile Entertainment and continues that with his new company, SGME Software. He edits The Smart Reader’s money, real estate, and business coverage.
