Presidential Pens

Kamakura Fountain Pens

George Washington was often noted for his excellent handwriting. In the past penmanship was considered a way to judge a person's intelligence. As a boy, George Washington practiced copying "The Rules of Civility and Decent Behavior in Company and Conversation." These were a list of 110 rules, I copied the first four below with the original spellings and grammar:

1st Every Action done in Company, ought to be with Some Sign of Respect, to those that are Present.

2d When in Company, put not your Hands to any Part of the Body, not usually Discovered.

3d Shew Nothing to your Freind that may affright him.

4 In the Presence of Others Sing not to yourself with a humming Noise, nor Drum with your Fingers or Feet.

The Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. holds an original hand written manuscript by George Washington himself when he was about 12 years old.

In Washington's Official Portrait at the White house, a single goose quill in a silver ink well may be seen upon the president's desk. Undoubtedly, he used these well.

One of George Washington's known belongings is his silver pen knife. This was a small knife that Washington always carried with him to trim his quill pens.

Nevertheless, other than quills, Washington was known to use a silver dip pen - pencil combination, shown below. The pencil part was not a mechanical type; these were first patented by Isaac Hawkins in 1802 and sold by Samson Mordan, which was just a few years after Washington's death. Rather, the end opposite the gold pen point was a holder for a simple black lead pencil.