History of the Senate desks
January 4, 2007 10:47 AM   Subscribe

From the Candy Desk to the Cherokee Strip, the desks in the U.S. Senate Chamber have a long and fascinating history.
posted by Vidiot (21 comments total) 6 users marked this as a favorite
 
[this is good]
posted by keswick at 10:53 AM on January 4, 2007


Wonderful post. Lots of entertaining tidbits and history to learn. I like the clickable Senate Chamber Map as well. Nice site.
posted by nickyskye at 11:03 AM on January 4, 2007


Awesome post
posted by kdern at 11:06 AM on January 4, 2007


Great find. I can understand the Henry Clay and Daniel Webster desks, but why does Jefferson Davis get one?

And further proof that our legislators do not mature beyond gradeschool.
posted by Terminal Verbosity at 11:08 AM on January 4, 2007


Excellent. I was seriously thinking about these the other day. Thanks for posting.
posted by moonbird at 11:24 AM on January 4, 2007


Wow. Great stuff.
posted by blahblahblah at 11:32 AM on January 4, 2007


Great pay and FREE CANDY?! D'A-mn..
posted by IronWolve at 11:35 AM on January 4, 2007


Wow, four posts before a political slam. Nice!
posted by keswick at 11:44 AM on January 4, 2007


Great post. (Seems like people have perversely saved their best posts for January, after the contest is over!)
posted by languagehat at 11:49 AM on January 4, 2007


TV, I think the Jefferson Davis one is to uphold the idea of civility - that Isaac Bassett kept the adversary's desk from being destroyed.
posted by notsnot at 11:50 AM on January 4, 2007


On a somewhat-related link, have you ever wondered what it looks like in the basement of the Cannon House Office Building when there's a signficant turnover? Wonder no more!
posted by MrMoonPie at 11:55 AM on January 4, 2007


Why in the hell does the Republican side get the Candy Desk? So they can taunt children with it?
posted by loquacious at 12:51 PM on January 4, 2007


[this is good] Little things like this fascinate me. Sure, you have your laws, bills, and filibusters...this is how we see lawmakers are real people.
posted by MrGuilt at 1:17 PM on January 4, 2007


Nifty link!

My wife used to work at a firm where the office manager kept a "candy drawer" in her desk and filled it weekly. Who knew it was a Senatorial tradition like the Bean Soup.
posted by briank at 1:36 PM on January 4, 2007


Awwww....the Candy Desk is so sweet....hyuk, hyuk!
posted by Tambo at 2:45 PM on January 4, 2007


Rick Santorum was the candy desk's previous occupant.
posted by gsteff at 6:28 PM on January 4, 2007


I actually did not know that there was so much flexibility in desk placement that they (usually) keep each party on either side of the center aisle, although in most of the 19th century they divided the seats equally.

Today all of Constantine's desks remain in use in the current Senate Chamber, although his chairs have been replaced.

Wow. I suppose the Senate Cabinet Shop is capable of keeping them going for quite a bit longer. You wonder if any will ever become so fragile that they must be taken out of service.
posted by dhartung at 7:15 PM on January 4, 2007


This is awesome. I like seeing the list of senators who've used each desk. One of my Senators has shared his desk with some pretty amazing people.
posted by SisterHavana at 10:06 PM on January 4, 2007


Today's Wall Street Journal (free) page one: "In New Senate, The 'Candy Desk' Gets a Kiss-Off" For more than a decade, Rick Santorum stocked the Senate "candy desk" with donations from Pennsylvania candy makers. But with Santorum gone, the desk has been turned over Craig Thomas from Wyoming -- and that's a big problem.
posted by pithy comment at 4:55 AM on January 5, 2007


In Wyoming, some small outfits sell esoteric sweets, such as chocolates designed to look like moose droppings.
posted by pithy comment at 4:56 AM on January 5, 2007


Ted Kennedy's Ass Cushion
posted by exogenous at 5:29 AM on January 11, 2007


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