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Desks

Senate Chamber Desks


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Desk 67 (LXVII)



TitleDesk, Senate Chamber, 67 (LXVII)
Artist/Makerafter T. Constantine & Co. (1817 - 1826) 
Date19th or early 20th century
MediumMahogany, mahogany veneer and rosewood veneer (primary)
Dimensions h. 35.06 x  w. 28.5 x  d. 20 in. ( h. 89.05 x  w. 72.39 x  d. 50.8 cm)
Credit LineU.S. Senate Collection
Accession Number66.00067.001


  • 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
    1BorahWilliam E. BorahIdahoR Republican
    2GoffNathan GoffWest VirginiaR Republican
    3HaleFrederick HaleMaineR Republican
    4NewberryTruman H. NewberryMichiganR Republican
    5EdgeWalter E. EdgeNew JerseyR Republican
    6StanfieldRobert N. StanfieldOregonR Republican
    7LaddEdwin F. LaddNorth DakotaR Republican
    8DalePorter H. DaleVermontR Republican
    9RobinsonJoseph T. RobinsonArkansasD Democrat
    10BrookhartSmith W. BrookhartIowaR Republican
    11VandenbergArthur H. VandenbergMichiganR Republican
    12HastingsDaniel O. HastingsDelawareR Republican
    13BaileyJosiah W. BaileyNorth CarolinaD Democrat
    14BoneHomer T. BoneWashingtonD Democrat
    15BilboTheodore G. BilboMississippiD Democrat
    16LeeJoshua B. LeeOklahomaD Democrat
    17SmathersWilliam H. SmathersNew JerseyD Democrat
    18BunkerBerkeley L. BunkerNevadaD Democrat
    19McFarlandErnest W. McFarlandArizonaD Democrat
    20KilgoreHarley M. KilgoreWest VirginiaD Democrat
    21JohnstonOlin D. T. JohnstonSouth CarolinaD Democrat
    22ChapmanVirgil M. ChapmanKentuckyD Democrat
    23ClementsEarle C. ClementsKentuckyD Democrat
    24PastoreJohn O. PastoreRhode IslandD Democrat
    25SymingtonStuart SymingtonMissouriD Democrat
    26ErvinSamuel J. Ervin, Jr.North CarolinaD Democrat
    27YarboroughRalph W. YarboroughTexasD Democrat
    28InouyeDaniel K. InouyeHawaiiD Democrat
    29TalmadgeHerman E. TalmadgeGeorgiaD Democrat
    30CannonHoward W. CannonNevadaD Democrat
    31PellClaiborne de Borda PellRhode IslandD Democrat
    32ChilesLawton M. Chiles, Jr.FloridaD Democrat
    33FordWendell H. FordKentuckyD Democrat
    34LeahyPatrick J. LeahyVermontD Democrat
    35WelchPeter WelchVermontD Democrat
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