A KENNEDY ADMINISTRATION SEAL OF THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES. Circular plaster painted se...

A KENNEDY ADMINISTRATION SEAL OF THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES. Circular plaster painted seal of the Office of the President, dia: 15.5 in, with hanging wire on verso. Provenance: manufactured by the Institute of Heraldry, 1959-60; used during the administration of John F. Kennedy, 1961-63; acquired by Special Assistant to the President Dave Powers until his death in 1998; by descent in the Powers family; sold John McGinnis Auctions, Presidential Auction, February 17, 2013, lot 217 to Zaricor Flag Collection. Seals for the Office of the President are almost unknown in private collections. This example from the White House hung in the office of Special Assistant to the President Dave Powers during the JFK Administration (see illustration) and was acquired by him at the end of the administration. The Institute of Heraldry is a department of the U.S. Army responsible for furnishing heraldic services to the President and all Federal Government agencies. Footnotes: David Powers (1912-1998) served in the Kennedy Administration as Special Assistant and assistant Appointments Secretary to President John F. Kennedy. Powers grew up in the Charlestown section of Boston and first met JFK when the latter was running for Congress. Powers soon became a member of the 'Irish Mafia' and remained close to JFK throughout his political career. According to historian Robert Dallek, Powers responsibilities were to tend to the President's needs: he 'was always with him on trips around the country and abroad. He usually was the first to see the President in the morning, and the last to see him at night. He was less a political adviser than simply a friend with whom Kennedy could relax. They would swim together in the White House pool, where Powers would use a breaststroke in order to keep up a steady chatter of amusing conversation that Kennedy enjoyed.' In the years after the Kennedy assassination, Powers was heavily involved in the Kennedy Library. In 2013, many of his manuscripts and memorabilia were sold at public auction. For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com For further information about this lot please visit the lot listing