Thomas Jefferson

When Thomas Jefferson retired to his Virginia estate in 1809, he certainly didn’t slow down. Monticello was a hive of activity, at times hosting 50 guests — forcing Jefferson to build a second house on his Bedford estate where he could find some solitude. When not working in his garden, the former President was often found writing letters to people of note across the globe; one year, he wrote an astonishing 1,268 letters. The rest of his time was spent on various architectural projects, including the never-ending development of Monticello. Jefferson was most devoted to another pet project, the University of Virginia. He designed its campus buildings, set up its curriculum, selected all the books for its library, and chose its faculty members. In fact, the inscription on Jefferson's tombstone at Monticello names the achievements that the founding father wished to be remembered for, and notably omits the role of President. It reads, "Here was buried Thomas Jefferson, Author of the Declaration of American Independence, of the Statute of Virginia for religious freedom, & Father of the University of Virginia."

John Quincy Adams

Following his defeat by Andrew Jackson in the 1828 presidential election, John Quincy Adams — the son of America’s second President, John Adams — fell into something of a funk. Saddened by his loss and what he considered dark days ahead for the nation (the American Civil War began some 30 years later), he returned to his hometown of Quincy, Massachusetts. But he soon became bored by retirement. Against the wishes of his family, he ran for Congress and won election to the House of Representatives, becoming the first — and so far only — former President to run for and win a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. He held the position from 1831 until his death in 1848, and was one of the House’s most articulate and forceful voices against slavery. 

Theodore Roosevelt

Theodore Roosevelt was never a man to sit on the sidelines twiddling his thumbs. Following his disappointing loss to Woodrow Wilson in the 1912 presidential election (which would have given Roosevelt a third term in office), the 55-year-old decided to embark upon a dangerous expedition down an uncharted tributary of the Brazilian Amazon called the Rio da Dúvida, or River of Doubt. Accompanied by his 23-year-old son Kermit and a team of porters, explorers, and scientists, Roosevelt set off in December 1913. By the time they reached the River of Doubt in February 1914, they had already lost a number of team members to tropical illnesses, and half their pack animals had died. As they ventured farther down the unmapped territory, they had to contend with everything from mosquitoes to alligators to the potential threat of attack from Indigenous peoples in the area. Roosevelt got malaria during the lengthy expedition, and became dangerously ill. Still, the team managed to reach the end of their journey, at which point Roosevelt sent an understated telegram describing it as “a hard and somewhat dangerous, but very successful trip.”

Dwight D. Eisenhower

When his presidency ended in 1961, Dwight D. Eisenhower retired to his small farm adjacent to the battlefield outside Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The war hero’s involvement in politics, however, was far from over, and he remained active in the Republican Party as an elder statesman. He occasionally advised President John F. Kennedy, and was a frequent adviser to President Lyndon B. Johnson, especially after LBJ committed troops to Vietnam. Eisenhower also found the time to raise Angus cattle, paint, and write two volumes of his memoirs, as well as a bestselling book of anecdotal essays titled At Ease: Stories I Tell to Friends. 

Richard Nixon

Richard Nixon was forced to resign in 1974 following the disgrace of Watergate, the worst political scandal in United States history. But rather than crawl away and hide, Nixon slowly but surely engineered a redemption arc that went some way to restoring both his tarnished reputation and his personal financial woes created by legal costs. First, he sold the rights to his memoirs for more than $2 million (RN: The Memoirs of Richard Nixon later became a bestseller); then he gave a now-legendary interview to British TV personality David Frost for $600,000. This helped pave the way for a more active return to politics, albeit often in an advisory role. He gave advice to President Jimmy Carter and was also consulted by Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush (although neither President publicized the fact). Nixon eventually became a widely acknowledged expert on foreign policy, and authored several well-received books that cemented his status as a political heavyweight. 

Jimmy Carter 

When Jimmy Carter lost his bid for reelection in 1980, it looked as though his legacy might be forever tarnished by a presidency marked by an array of problems: an energy crisis, Soviet aggression, the Iran hostage crisis, rising inflation, and rising unemployment. But in later years, Carter was seen in a more positive light, helped immensely by his post-presidential life. Following his presidency, Carter emerged as a champion of human rights, and is now considered by some to be the nation's greatest former President. In 1982, he founded the Carter Center, an organization devoted to issues relating to democracy and human rights. He was also known for his tireless role with Habitat for Humanity International, a global organization that provides housing for underprivileged people. Carter was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002. He died in late 2024 at the age of 100.

The Seymour Tall Case Clock

Since 1975, an imposing grandfather clock has stood in the room’s northeast corner. According to the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library and Museum, the clock was part of a furniture lot acquired by First Lady Pat Nixon two years before its Oval Office debut during Ford’s presidency. Made sometime between 1795 and 1805 by father and son cabinetmakers John and Thomas Seymour of Boston, the clock — known as the Seymour tall case clock — is made of mahogany and stands 8 feet, 10  inches tall. A very similar clock, from the same time period, is described by the Metropolitan Museum of Art as “among the finest and most aesthetically significant examples produced in North America during the Federal period.” In 2017, the stately piece unexpectedly appeared in the news when former FBI director James Comey mentioned it repeatedly when detailing his meetings with President Donald Trump. 

The White Marble Mantel

While some Oval Office decor comes and goes, the white marble fireplace mantel hasn’t changed for any administration since 1909. After the 27th President, William Howard Taft, took office, he held a competition to find an architect to renovate the West Wing and create the first Oval Office. The winner, architect Nathan C. Wyeth, selected a neoclassical mantel that has survived more than just time: In 1929, a fire in the West Wing gutted the Oval Office, and while the mantel suffered visible damage, it was salvaged and remained a fixture of the room. Five years later, when President Franklin D. Roosevelt expanded and relocated the Oval Office to the West Wing’s present southeast corner location, overlooking the Wilson Rose Garden, the mantel also moved, and has been in place ever since.  

George Washington Portraits

Among the many former Presidents whose portraits regularly appear in the Oval Office is, perhaps unsurprisingly, the first U.S. President, George Washington. Two specific portraits of the founding father have appeared time and again over the years: Charles Willson Peale’s three-quarter-length portrait, painted in 1776, and one by his son, Rembrandt Peale. Rembrandt Peale’s famous 1823 "Porthole" portrait was created as a replica of the artist’s original Washington portrait — which itself was purchased by Congress for $2,000 in 1832 — and is often given prominent placement over the mantel in the Oval Office.

The Presidential Seal in the Rug

The presidential seal is a familiar emblem, featuring an eagle, arrows, an olive branch, and a shield, and is famously featured in the Oval Office’s central rug. The seal’s prominent carpet placement was first used by President Harry Truman and has been replicated by nearly every President since. Truman’s carpet wasn’t only the first time a President featured the seal on the Oval Office rug, but it was also among the first uses of the newly redesigned symbol. Before his death, President Franklin D. Roosevelt worked on revamping the image, which added stars to represent the states and, most notably, turned the eagle’s head away from the arrows clutched in its claws, and toward the olive branch of peace.

Swedish Ivy

The Oval Office’s white marble mantel isn’t only regularly adorned with paintings: Since John F. Kennedy’s administration in the early 1960s, a Swedish ivy plant has often appeared perched on the ledge. The plant originated as a gift to Kennedy from Irish ambassador Thomas J. Kiernan. Its endurance warranted its own TIME magazine feature in 1984, and it has many progenies, originating as clippings from the main plant and passed around to friends and colleagues by White House staffers through the years. The famous greenery still lives in the Oval Office, rooted from Kennedy’s original plant.

The “Bronco Buster” Sculpture

“The Bronco Buster” is one of artist Frederic Remington’s most famous pieces. The bronze sculpture shows a cowboy on horseback, and its endurance as a symbol of the American West has been a fixture in the Oval Office since around the time it was gifted to the White House in 1973. Initially crafted in 1895, the sculpture was inspired by one of Remington's own early illustrations, accompanying an article written by Theodore Roosevelt in an 1888 edition of Century Magazine. Presidents Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, Barack Obama, and Donald Trump included it in their decor, but President Joe Biden removed it when he took office in 2021. Biden opted for a different horse sculpture: “Swift Messenger,” featuring a horse and rider, was made by New Mexico-based artist Allan Houser of the Chiricahua Apache tribe, and once belonged to Hawaiian Senator Daniel Ken Inouye, the first Japanese American person elected to both houses of Congress.

Thomas Jefferson

As well as being the third U.S. President and author of the Declaration of Independence, Jefferson was a highly accomplished (and self-taught) architect. Among his most notable designs are his own home at Monticello, the Virginia State Capitol, and the University of Virginia. The founding father was also an inventor whose innovations included a wheel cipher for coded messages, a moldboard plow to till soil, and a macaroni machine. 

James A. Garfield 

James A. Garfield was ambidextrous and multilingual. Legend has it he could write with both hands at once, writing Greek in one hand and Latin in the other. He also became the first American presidential candidate to deliver a campaign speech in a language other than English, when he noticed a large group of German Americans in a crowd and addressed them in their native tongue.

Dwight D. Eisenhower

By the time Dwight D. Eisenhower graduated from West Point in 1915, his poker game was razor-sharp. He only improved from there, until he began to feel bad for taking everyone’s money — at which point he quit playing out of a sense of honor. Eisenhower took up bridge instead and excelled at that, too. While stationed in the Philippines, he began playing bridge regularly against President Manuel Quezon, and earned himself the nickname the “bridge wizard of Manila.” 

Richard Nixon 

Richard Nixon, like Eisenhower, was an exceptional poker player. While serving overseas as a U.S. Navy lieutenant, he became a proper card shark, winning thousands of dollars by the time he returned home — enough money to fund his first run for political office. Nixon was also one of the most musically accomplished Presidents. He played five instruments: saxophone, clarinet, accordion, violin, and piano. 

Gerald Ford 

Gerald Ford was a star football player at the University of Michigan and was named the team’s MVP in his final year in 1934. He was so good that he received contract offers from the Detroit Lions and Green Bay Packers, but he turned them down to go to law school. Ford was also a fashion model in his 20s, making it onto the cover of Cosmopolitan in 1942, albeit in illustrated form. 

Jimmy Carter

Jimmy Carter’s artistic output is truly impressive. He took up painting in the 1980s and has since painted more than 100 works, many of which have been auctioned off for charity. He’s also a skilled woodworker, a winemaker, and the author of 32 books on everything from women’s rights to hunting and fishing.

Ronald Reagan

It’s well known that Ronald Reagan was a famous actor, appearing in more than 50 movies before he became President. But before he became a film star, Reagan was a lifeguard and an excellent swimmer. During his time working as a lifeguard at Lowell Park beach in Dixon, Illinois, the future President reportedly rescued 77 people from the water. 

Bill Clinton 

Bill Clinton is a skilled crossword puzzle solver. He can reportedly complete the New York Times crossword in a few minutes, while simultaneously speaking with political leaders on the phone. In 2007, he even wrote the clues for a Times crossword, filled with puns, pop culture references, and clever wordplay. 

Barack Obama

In 2008, a reporter asked Barack Obama if he had any hidden talents. His answer was that he considers himself “a pretty good poker player.” Like Eisenhower and Nixon, Obama is supposedly a card shark — although we largely have to take his word for it. What we definitely know about Obama is that he’s a talented speaker, for which we have plenty of proof. While still a U.S. senator, he won two Grammy Awards for Best Spoken Word Album for the audiobook reading of his memoirs, Dreams From My Father and The Audacity of Hope. In 2022, he also won an Emmy for his narration on the Netflix documentary series Our Great National Parks.

Making the Waffles

I was confident when I set out to make these waffles. A longtime baker, I'd consider myself slightly above novice, especially when it comes to breakfast. Waffles hold a special place in my heart. They were the food I craved above all else when I stayed home sick as a kid. The first thing I registered for when I was getting married was a good waffle iron, and now it's one of my favorite weekend treats to make for my own daughter. 

To my surprise, the hardest part of the whole experience began before I even heated up the waffle iron. I could not find cake flour. My grocery store shelves were stocked with all-purpose flour, bread flour, even gluten-free almond flour, but it took three Target runs to finally find cake flour, which, as I learned, has a slightly lower protein content than all-purpose flour, making it extra fine and light — ideal for waffle-making. 

Aside from the flour, the ingredient list is pretty standard, though with slightly more flair than a traditional waffle recipe. Each ingredient goes one step further than you would find in a basic recipe. Buttermilk instead of regular milk. Separated egg yolks and whipped egg whites folded into the batter instead of a whole egg unceremoniously cracked in. Butter instead of vegetable oil. Reading the ingredient list alone gives you a hint to how fluffy and rich these waffles will be. 

With that said, nothing in the recipe was too difficult, especially for an experienced waffle maker. Even a beginner could whip these up easily, as long as you pay attention to the recipe.  

So, that being said, make sure to read the recipe extra carefully. There are a few tricky points, such as an extra tablespoon of flour on top of the 1 cup already in there, or 7/8 cup of milk, if you opt out of buttermilk. Also, expert chefs be warned: The baking powder, which is typically combined with flour at the beginning of a bake, isn't added until the very end. Those four heaping tablespoons will give the waffles an extra fluffiness, so just trust the recipe. 

Also note that these are a bit more delicate than a thick boxed mix, so you'll want to spray your waffle iron and be extra careful peeling them from the heat.

Drumroll, Please…

The end result was light, fluffy, and delicious — not surprising given the work that went into them. Like each individual ingredient, the waffles themselves felt like an elevated dish taken to a slightly higher level. 

There's no sugar in this recipe, which means these aren't the sweet dessert waffles you may dream about. But add fruit, whipped cream, or any other desired toppings and that will easily make up for it — though the recipe itself advises you serve with "hot maple syrup and melted butter." That's exactly what I did, and it was the perfect topping for these fluffy creations. 

I can confidently say these waffles were much better than a box recipe, slightly better than a simple from-scratch recipe, but perhaps not quite reaching the peaks of gourmet brunch. 

All in all, the process was a little involved and time-consuming, but the end result was a delicious, rich batch of hot and tasty waffles. If you have a White House chef at your disposal, you might request these every day. But for this mother of a toddler, I'll stick to boxed mixes and save these for a special weekend treat.