A Revolutionary Chair

Revolving Windsor chair with writing arm. 1775-76 Mahogany, poplar, and other woods 431⁄2 × 30 × 331⁄2 American Philosophical Society. Gift of John Kintzing Kane, 20 April 1838.

- By Craig Bentzley

There is no denying that Thomas Jefferson was one of the most skilled statesman and politicians in American history. The country’s first secretary of state and third president, he was also a keen student of gardening, architecture, and mechanical devices. These disparate interests led his Federalist nemesis William Loughton Smith to assert in 1796 that “science and government are two different paths,” charging that Jefferson was therefore not qualified to hold public office. Smith particularly chided Jefferson for his innovative revolving chair, remarking: “Who has not heard from the secretary of the praises of his wonderful whirligig chair, which has the miraculous quality of allowing the person seated in it to turn his head without moving his tail?” It may be this politically disparaging quote that led to the belief that Jefferson himself invented the revolving chair. However, the truth is that revolving chairs—although rare—were around before Jefferson ordered his first one.

Jefferson arrived in Philadelphia on May 14, 1776, the day before the Second Continental Congress reconvened. He rented rooms from famous cabinetmaker Benjamin Randolph at his residence on Chestnut Street. But finding the noise and squalor of “Center City” unfavorable, Jefferson soon found quieter accommodations at the newly constructed home of Jacob Graffat 7th and Market Street. He rented the second floor, which consisted of a bedroom and the parlor where he wrote the Declaration of Independence.