Which U.S. President sold the “Presidential Yacht”?

Historically, Air Force One has not been the only “home away from home” for U.S. Presidents. In the past, there was also a “Floating White House”, known as the presidential yacht, in addition to the flying one.

Several sailing vessels held the title over the years; the last to do so was the USS Sequoia. During its 40-year tenure, multiple presidents used the yacht, including Herbert Hoover, Dwight D. Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy, and Lyndon B. Johnson. During that time, Sequoia often served as the setting for Presidential meetings, negotiations, and decisions of extraordinary significance, both in the history of the United States and the course of world events.

However, in 1977, President Jimmy Carter made the decision to sell the Sequoia at auction, doing so because he believed the President should live modestly. The winning bid was $286,000.00 (242,099 EUR). The Sequoia had 7 owners after being sold, at one point even being used for luxury tours down the Potomac River.

The Presidential Yacht Trust, a non-profit organization, re-acquired Sequoia in 1980 and brought her back to D.C for use by the President and his cabinet. A Congressional Resolution was written to assist the Trust in restoring her and Sequoia was brought back into government service in December of 1985. The yacht underwent a $2,000,000.00 (1,693,257 EUR) restoration, and participated in the flotilla of vessels celebrating the centennial of the Statue of Liberty on July 4, 1986.