Riddle me this…
“I have a face that does not frown and hands that do not wave. I do not walk but move around. I’ve met at least eight presidents. What am I?”
Answer:
A grandfather clock — well, the grandfather clock in the Oval Office, that is.
(Quoted from: 1-800-4clocks.com)
It is what’s called a Seymour Tall Case Clock and stands eight foot ten inches (or 269 cm) tall. It’s been in the same spot in the Oval Office since 1975, starting with the presidency of Gerald Ford, although there was another grandfather clock there since at least 1965. The current clock is believed to have been made around the year 1800 by cabinet makers John and Thomas Seymour (father and son) who immigrated from England. It is considered to be worth around $100,000 (US).
There are 85 clocks in The White House, including 12 long case clocks.
Harry S. Truman (President from 1945 to 1953) ordered all clock chimes to be silenced because it was too hard to get them synchronized.
This clock appears in many official photographs because of its location in the Oval Office. The picture below was taken in 2017.
