The Cabinet Room

The Cabinet Room has been the place where the President, his Cabinet Secretaries and advisors have gathered to discuss the pressing business of the United States. The room, which was part of the 1902 addition of the West Wing, was built in the Georgian style. Located next to the Oval Office, it features large arched windows which overlook the Rose Garden.

Many have seen photographs of the room featuring an imposing mahogany table surrounded by leather chairs. The table was a gift from President Richard Nixon in 1970, and keen observers will notice that one chair is slightly different than the rest.

The table seats 20, and seating is arranged based on the year that his or her particular department was formed. Those with the oldest departments sit closest to the President in chairs that bear brass plates stating their position and dates of service. The plate on the chair of the President, which sits on the east side of the table in the center, reads simply “The President”, and his chair sits about two inches higher than all the others. The Vice President is seated across the table from the President. When the service of a cabinet member has come to an end, he is offered the opportunity to purchase his or her Cabinet Room chair.

Many things about the room, such as the table and the style of the chairs, have remained the same for many years. Other details change with each President. While the décor of the room always includes sculptures and paintings of past Presidents, the sitting President decides whose likeness he would like to include. President George W. Bush has chosen to include images of Washington, Theodore Roosevelt, Jefferson and Eisenhower.

History has been made in this room. It was in the Cabinet Room on April 12, 1945 that Eleanor Roosevelt requested a meeting with Vice President Harry S. Truman. She informed him that her husband, President Franklin D. Roosevelt, had died. Later in the day, Vice President Truman was sworn in as the new President.

It would be nearly impossible to compile a list of all of the important discussions that have taken place in the Cabinet Room. The business of the nation including budgets, military issues, social programs and matters of national security are all discussed within those walls.

The same room in which President John F. Kennedy discussed the Cuban missile crisis is the place that President George W. Bush gathered his most trusted advisors on September 12, 2001; one day after the nation was attacked by terrorists.

The Cabinet Room has been the site of some lighter moments as well. As the days of the Ford Administration drew to a close, the First Lady brought a photographer to the Cabinet Room. A trained dancer, the First Lady kicked off her shoes and danced atop the same table where her husband had helped decide the course of a nation.

Going forward the Cabinet Room will continue to be the place where the nation’s top advisors meet to determine the future of the United States.