Thomas Jefferson used a mahogany lap desk to write his first draft of the Constitution.
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The President's Desk, aka the Resolute Desk, after the ship it's made from, is English Oak. It was a gift from the Queen of England to Pres. Rutherford B. Hayes.
When the president rejects a bill by leaving it on his desk until after Congress has ended session, it is called a pocket veto.
A pocket veto will be possible for the president only if Congress adjourns before the president has ten days to sign or veto the bill. If Congress adjourns during this period, the bill does not become law and is effectively vetoed.
Herbert Hoover was the first US president to have a phone on his desk. Prior to 1929, US presidents had used a phone booth outside the office. Incidentally, the first president to have a telephone installed in the White House was Rutherford B Hayes.
a desk in Spanish is called an el pupitre