The Grizzly Bear Chair is a gift from hunter Seth Kinman to President Andrew Johnson.

The Grizzly Bear Chair is a gift from hunter Seth Kinman to President Andrew Johnson. 1865, USA Seth Kinman (September 29, 1815 – February 24, 1888) was an early settler of Humboldt County, California, a hunter based in Fort Humboldt, a famous chair maker, and a nationally recognized entertainer. He stood over 6 ft (1.83 m) tall and was known for his hunting prowess and his brutality toward bears and Indian warriors. Kinman claimed to have shot a total of over 800 grizzly bears, and, in a single month, over 50 elk. He was also a hotel keeper, saloon keeper, and a musician who performed for President Lincoln on a fiddle made from the skull of a mule. The Grizzly Bear Chair is a unique chair presented to Andrew Johnson, the 17th President of the United States, in 1865. It was made of bear skin and decorated in a style popular at the time. The chair became a symbol of Johnson's personal preferences and reflected his connection with nature and the frontier spirit. The armchair not only served as a piece of furniture, but also embodied the desire for simplicity and accessibility, which was important for Johnson, who came to power after the assassination of Abraham Lincoln and had to make every effort to rebuild the country after the Civil War. Kinman made his name first as a hunter, especially as a hunter of grizzly bears. California was noted for its large population of grizzlies. Seth's son Carlin claimed that they once saw 40 grizzlies at one time. The Grizzly Bear Chair A gift from hunter Seth Kinman to President Andrew Johnson, was are one of favorite presidential gifts. Known for his publicity seeking, Kinman appeared as a stereotypical mountain man dressed in buckskins on the U.S. East Coast and selling cartes de visites of himself and his famous chairs. The chairs were made from elkhorns and grizzly bear skins and given to U.S. Presidents. Presidents so honored include James Buchanan, Abraham Lincoln, Andrew Johnson, and Rutherford Hayes. He may have had a special relationship with President Lincoln, appearing in at least two of Lincoln's funeral corteges, and claiming to have witnessed Lincoln's assassination. Photo: California hunter and trapper Seth Kinman sitting in a chair made out of a grizzly bear that he gave to President Andrew Johnson in 1865. Elkhorn chair presented to President Abraham Lincoln.