Over the years, US presidents have used a number of different pen brands. During Bill Clinton's presidency in the 1990s, A.T. Cross became the official supplier to the White House -- though presidents as far back as Gerald Ford had already been using Cross pens. The Cross Townsend model earned the nickname "Pen of the Presidents" and has been used by leaders around the world.
Presidents and Their Pens
| President | Pen |
|---|---|
| Joe Biden | Cross Century II, black lacquer with gold trim, fitted with a felt-tip refill |
| Donald Trump | Custom Sharpie marker pen |
| Barack Obama | Cross Townsend rollerball, later Cross Century II rollerball |
| George W. Bush | Cross Townsend rollerball |
| Bill Clinton | Cross Townsend rollerball |
| George H.W. Bush | Cross Classic Century ballpoint |
| Ronald Reagan | Cross Classic Century ballpoint |
| Jimmy Carter | Parker Eversharp fountain pen |
| Gerald Ford | Parker Eversharp and Cross fountain pens |
| Richard Nixon | Parker Eversharp fountain pen |
| Lyndon B. Johnson | Parker Eversharp and Esterbrook fountain pens |
| John F. Kennedy | Parker 45, Esterbrook, and Montblanc Meisterstuck 149 fountain pens |
| Dwight D. Eisenhower | Parker 51 fountain pen |
| Harry S. Truman | Parker 51 fountain pen |
| Franklin D. Roosevelt | Waterman fountain pen |
Why Do Presidents Use So Many Pens?
If you have ever watched a president sign an official bill and noticed them switching pens repeatedly, this is a tradition dating back decades -- though it is unknown who started it. After each pen is used, it is gifted to someone involved in helping pass the bill as a souvenir and thank you.
The record for the most pens used to sign a single bill is 75, set by Lyndon B. Johnson when signing the Civil Rights Act in 1964 -- one pen per letter of the signature, it seems. One of those pens was presented to Martin Luther King Jr. A more recent example is Barack Obama, who used 22 pens to sign the Affordable Care Act in 2010.
Shop the Pens of the Presidents
Many of the pens used by US presidents are still available today. Browse our collections of Cross, Parker, Waterman, and Esterbrook at Pure Pens.