While Benjamin Franklin's name is often linked to the rocking chair, its development relied more on the practical ingenuity of early American farmers and craftsmen. The first mass-produced design, the Boston Rocker, originated in New England in the 1840s. Its enduring popularity was cemented when President John F. Kennedy, advised by his physician Dr. Janet Travell, used a specially-made Appalachian 'Kennedy Rocker' to manage his severe back issues, keeping several in the White House. The Shaker