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Desks

Senate Chamber Desks


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Desk 16 (XVI)



TitleDesk, Senate Chamber, 16 (XVI)
Artist/Makerafter T. Constantine & Co. (1817 - 1826) 
Date19th or early 20th century
MediumMahogany and mahogany veneer (primary)
Dimensions h. 35.12 x  w. 28.62 x  d. 19.62 in. ( h. 89.21 x  w. 72.7 x  d. 49.84 cm)
Credit LineU.S. Senate Collection
Accession Number66.00016.001


  • Object Description
  • This mahogany writing desk was made specifically for use in the Senate’s legislative chamber in the U.S. Capitol, and is one of 100 desks that are similarly constructed and used daily by senators. It features two shaped and fluted legs, a bookshelf supported by mahogany spindles, a drawer, a hinged writing top with storage, and a removable wooden tray for writing tools. Decorative enhancements, including figured mahogany veneers and circular roundels, reflect the designs of the original 48 desks created for the Senate in 1819 by the New York cabinetmaking firm T. Constantine & Co. Over the years, many senators have inscribed their names in the interior of the desk drawers, making each drawer a unique way of linking current and past desk users. Desk occupants can change every two years with a new Congress, and are based on seniority.

  • Artist/Maker
  • Thomas Constantine (1791–1849) was born in Derbyshire, England, and he and his family immigrated to New York City when he was two. Between 1806 and 1812, Constantine apprenticed with New York City cabinetmaker John Hewitt, and then served as a journeyman in the same shop between 1812 and 1814. Thomas opened his own cabinet shop in 1815, and in 1817 his firm, T. Constantine & Co., began competing with some of the city’s most notable furniture manufacturers.

    Constantine received his most celebrated commissions as Congress prepared to reoccupy the U.S. Capitol after it had been damaged by fires set by British soldiers in August 1814. In 1818, Constantine received a contract to provide the House of Representatives Chamber with carpets, wall hangings, lamps, 192 chairs, and 51 tables. The following year, Constantine was awarded a contract to furnish the Senate Chamber with 48 mahogany armchairs and desks, as well as other furnishings, lighting, and textiles. Constantine’s brother, John (1796–1845) is known to have assisted with the upholstery of the chairs made for both chambers.

    Although scholars consider Constantine’s work for the House and Senate to be the apex of his relatively brief career, T. Constantine & Co. produced furniture into the 1820s. He closed his furniture store in the summer of 1824 and furniture manufactory in 1826. Today furnishings by T. Constantine & Co. are represented in various collections, including the National Park Service, National Museum of American History, North Carolina Museum of History, U.S. House of Representatives, and Winterthur Museum.

    For more information on Thomas Constantine, see Matthew A. Thurlow, “Aesthetics, Politics, and Power in Early-Nineteenth-Century Washington: Thomas Constantine & Co.’s Furniture for the United States Capitol, 1818-1819" in American Furniture (Chipstone Foundation, 2006).

  • Desk Occupants
  • The senators' names listed in this table include both names inscribed in the desk drawer and, beginning with the 99th Congress, the names of all senators who occupied this desk.

    Order Senator State Party
    1ShieldsJohn K. ShieldsTennesseeD Democrat
    2KingWilliam H. KingUtahD Democrat
    3GayEdward J. GayLouisianaD Democrat
    4PhippsLawrence C. PhippsColoradoR Republican
    5WillisFrank B. WillisOhioR Republican
    6HarreldJohn W. HarreldOklahomaR Republican
    7McKinleyWilliam B. McKinleyIllinoisR Republican
    8GreeneFrank L. GreeneVermontR Republican
    9DeneenCharles S. DeneenIllinoisR Republican
    10McMasterWilliam H. McMasterSouth DakotaR Republican
    11SackettFrederic M. SackettKentuckyR Republican
    12La FolletteRobert M. La Follette, Sr.WisconsinR Republican
    13BlaineJohn J. BlaineWisconsinR Republican
    14ThomasJohn ThomasIdahoR Republican
    15GlennOtis F. GlennIllinoisR Republican
    16CuttingBronson M. CuttingNew MexicoR Republican
    17WalcottFrederic C. WalcottConnecticutR Republican
    18TownsendJohn G. Townsend, Jr.DelawareR Republican
    19MorrowDwight W. MorrowNew JerseyR Republican
    20AustinWarren R. AustinVermontR Republican
    21BarbourWilliam W. BarbourNew JerseyR Republican
    22EricksonJohn E. EricksonMontanaD Democrat
    23AustinWarren R. AustinVermontR Republican
    24ThompsonWilliam H. ThompsonKansasD Democrat
    25GuffeyJoseph F. GuffeyPennsylvaniaD Democrat
    26MooreArthur H. MooreNew JerseyD Democrat
    27SchwellenbachLewis B. SchwellenbachWashingtonD Democrat
    28McCarranPatrick A. McCarranNevadaD Democrat
    29PepperClaude D. PepperFloridaD Democrat
    30BrownPrentiss M. BrownMichiganD Democrat
    31ReynoldsRobert R. ReynoldsNorth CarolinaD Democrat
    32HatchCarl A. HatchNew MexicoD Democrat
    33BilboTheodore G. BilboMississippiD Democrat
    34DowneySheridan DowneyCaliforniaD Democrat
    35KilgoreHarley M. KilgoreWest VirginiaD Democrat
    36NelsonGaylord A. NelsonWisconsinD Democrat
    37JohnstonJ. Bennett Johnston, Jr.LouisianaD Democrat
    38FordWendell H. FordKentuckyD Democrat
    39MelcherJohn MelcherMontanaD Democrat
    40DeConciniDennis W. DeConciniArizonaD Democrat
    41ExonJ. James ExonNebraskaD Democrat
    42HarkinTom HarkinIowaD Democrat
    43RockefellerJohn D. Rockefeller, IVWest VirginiaD Democrat
    44ManchinJoe Manchin, IIIWest VirginiaD Democrat
    45BaldwinTammy BaldwinWisconsinD Democrat
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