TYB
Auto Penitentiary
"Correspondence" vs BILLS
AI Overview
The first President to use an autopen-like device was Thomas Jefferson in the early 1800s, who utilized a mechanical pantograph called a "polygraph" to make copies of his correspondence.
The first President to use the modern, robotic-arm autopen (developed in the 1940s) for correspondence was likely Harry Truman, though this is generally considered a rumor as Lyndon B. Johnson was the first to allow the device to be publicly photographed.
President Barack Obama was the first to use an autopen to sign a bill into law in May 2011, after the Department of Justice issued a legal opinion that such an action was constitutional provided the President authorized its use. Prior to this, presidents avoided using the autopen for legally binding legislation, opting instead to have the physical bill flown to their location if they were away from Washington, D.C..