Gifts from the White House

The history of gift giving between ambassadors and premiers dates back to the beginning of the Republic. The first gift that President Washington presented was to the British ambassador to bring to King George after the United States was formerly recognized by His Majesty’s government. Now most people think of President Washington as a cold and austere and dignified man. But he had an impish sense of humor. So his first gift to old King George was a beautiful pristine white jacket. The only problem was that the sleeves tied at the back. The Brits had a similarly ribald reply. They presented Martha with a special pair of tweezers to pick out splinters in her most delicate areas. You see the President often forgot to take out his wooden teeth. It was the talk of the capital.
(Gifts from the White House, From Tweezers to DVD”S, Doris Kearns Goodwin, Playboy Press 2009)

The best recorded gift made by a President to a foreign leader was the huge solid gold nugget that President Franklin Pierce presented to the young Queen Victoria in recognition of the discovery of gold in California. The worst gift was of course the case of chlamydia that JFK gave to Yvonne de Gaulle.
(Gifts from the White House, From Tweezers to DVD”S, Doris Kearns Goodwin, Playboy Press 2009)

The most common gift that presidents have given to foreign leaders was artwork. President Roosevelt loved to give works from artists from the WPA and President Eisenhower loved to give the sculptures of western scenes made by Frederic Remington. The strangest gifts that a President ever gave were by Thomas Jefferson who often gave visiting dignitaries children he had fathered on Sally Hemmings.
(Gifts from the White House, From Tweezers to DVD”S, Doris Kearns Goodwin, Playboy Press 2009)

President William Howard Taft always gave the same gift. Pork.
(Gifts from the White House, From Tweezers to DVD”S, Doris Kearns Goodwin, Playboy Press 2009)

President Chester Arthur loved to present his guests the sketches of John James Audubon especially those of waterfowl, egrets and terns. President William Jefferson Clinton loved to provide his guests with interns.
(Gifts from the White House, From Tweezers to DVD”S, Doris Kearns Goodwin, Playboy Press 2009)