Walter Hoving - Sales To John F. Kennedy

Sales To John F. Kennedy

Hoving made two sales to President John F. Kennedy. Once in 1960, Hoving met then President-elect, after store hours, and assisted him in selecting a brooch by Jean Schlumberger with rubies and diamonds for Jacqueline Kennedy. Although its cost was not made known, it is estimated that a similar piece would cost $30,000 today. The Metropolitan Museum of Art chose the brooch to be the sole piece of fine jewelry chosen for display in the blockbuster exhibition Jacqueline Kennedy: The White House Years.

Kennedy contacted Hoving again in 1962 after the Cuban missile crisis, and requested 32 Lucite calendar mementos to be presented to close aides who had worked with him during the crisis. Hoving's response varies slightly in different accounts, but the gist of it was, We don't sell plastic. Tiffany's ended up filling the order, but with the mementos in silver. When Kennedy asked if the President received a discount, Mr. Hoving pointed to the picture of Mary Lincoln wearing a strand of Tiffany pearls, purchased of her by then President Lincoln, stating, "Well President Lincoln didn't receive one.

The President returned to the Tiffany shortly after the birth of his son John, to to purchase a gift for his wife. When Hoving learned he was in the store he rushed down to greet him, stopping on the second floor to pick up a silver baby feeding spoon as a gift for the new born. The President thanked him and slipped it into his pocket, purchased his gift and departed, Many months later, Mr. Hoving received a graceful hand written note from Jackie Kennedy, thanking him profusely and apologizing for the tardiness of their thank you note. She explained that she had recently just found the silver feeding spoon while emptying the Presidents suit pocket before sending it to the dry cleaners.