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Herbert Hoover was the first president with a telephone on his desk. The White House installed a telephone system in 1878, but the first telephone in the Oval Office was installed in 1929. The phone was not private until 1993 when President Bill Clinton revamped the White House phone system.
Herbert Hoover was the first president to have a telephone on his desk. Although the White House installed a telephone system in 1878, under Rutherford B. Hayes, it was rarely used because most other places still did not have telephones. The first telephone in the Oval Office was installed in 1929; before that, the president had to walk into a foyer to take calls.
Learn more about the White House telephone system:
In early Washington, DC telephone directories, the White House number was listed simply as “1.”
The White House now has two main lines: one for comment, staffed by volunteers, and one for actually contacting people, staffed by trained switchboard operators. Only a privileged few operators know the number that actually goes to the president.
The phone in the Oval Office was not a private line until 1993, when President Bill Clinton revamped the White House phone system. Before that, anyone could listen by picking up an extension.
