JFK's Pen: A Rich Spirit

President John F. Kennedy served from 1961-1963, and left a positive lasting impact on the United States. His administration saw America take steps towards civil rights, and cultivated a spiritually rich nation. President Kennedy signed bills with two different kinds of pens. First is the one pictured in the middle column, of which he had a set of to use over and over in signing documents. Second is the pen most commonly attributed to him, the Montblanc Meisterstuck No. 149. Each pen he used in signing reflected his soulful agenda and his hopes for an America that was spiritually rich, not just materially rich.

The pens shown in the photo in the middle were made of a plastic and metal material, and they were somewhat disoosable fountain pens. President Kennedy used one of these in signing an executive order granting Winston Churchill honorary American citizenship status, and the pen was sent to Churchill's family.

The second pen was also a fountain pen, and was black and silver, made of mostly metal. The pen's color and materials symbolize JFK's dream of a sleek and brilliant America, with not even the sky being the limit.

President Kennedy's term came to a tragic end upon his assasination in 1963, but his life's work lives on. His progressive policies and stance led the way for his predecessor, President Lyndon B. Johnson, to sign the 1965 Civil Rights Act. JFK did not go quietly into that good night, he burned as bright as a star and left America a better place from his administration's work.

Works Cited/Sources

Samantha Di Nardo. What Pen Does the President Use?: From Roosevelt to Trump. Dayspring Pens, January 2, 2023. https://www.dayspringpens.com/blogs/the-jotted-line/presidential-pen?srsltid=AfmBOoq5LI0Ud-mctl9DV6TY3XT4N92YSmWz4FUy_uCmb7m-rrgF255lc

John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum. Signing Pen Used to Sign H.R. 4374. National Archives, Accessed May 3, 2025. https://jfk.artifacts.archives.gov/objects/4667/signing-pen-used-to-sign-hr-4374?ctx=a6dbc317e83a30720f54fca5ab902e59b1448543&idx=21

Montblanc. Meisterstück The Origin Collection 149 Fountain Pen M. Accessed May 3, 2025. https://www.montblanc.com/en-us/fountain-pens_cod1647597341706334.html

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