Board of Directors
chairman
John F. W. Rogers
vice chairperson
Teresa Carlson
treasurer
Gregory W. Wendt secretary
Anita B. McBride
president
Stewart D. McLaurin
Eula Adams, Michael Beschloss, Gahl Hodges Burt, Merlynn Carson, Jean M. Case, Ashley Dabbiere, Wayne A. I. Frederick, Deneen C. Howell, Tham Kannalikham, Metta Krach, Barbara A. Perry, Ben C. Sutton Jr., Tina Tchen
national park service liaison: Charles F. Sams III
ex officio: Lonnie G. Bunch III, Kaywin Feldman, Carla Hayden, Katherine Malone-France, Colleen Shogan
directors emeriti: John T. Behrendt, John H. Dalton, Nancy M. Folger, Knight Kiplinger, Elise K. Kirk, Martha Joynt Kumar, James I. McDaniel, Robert M. McGee, Harry G. Robinson III, Ann Stock, Gail Berry West
white house history quarterly
founding editor
William Seale (1939–2019)
editor
Marcia Mallet Anderson
associate vice president of publishing
Lauren McGwin
editorial coordinator
Rebecca Durgin
editorial and production manager
Margaret Strolle
consulting editor
Ann Hofstra Grogg
consulting design
Pentagram
editorial advisory
Bill Barker
Matthew Costello
Mac Keith Griswold
Scott Harris
Joel Kemelhor
Jessie Kratz
Rebecca Roberts
Lydia Barker Tederick
Bruce M. White
the editor wishes to thank The Office of the Curator, The White House
susan ford bales is the daughter of President Gerald Ford and First Lady Betty Ford and serves as a trustee of the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation.
john chuldenko is the grandson of Jimmy Carter and a writer and director based in Los Angeles. He is an alum of the Sundance Film Festival and regularly contributes to Departures, Panorama, Craft + Tailored , and The Motoring Journal.
melinda dart is the editor of A Glimpse of Greatness: The Memoir of Irineo Esperancilla, which explores her grandfather’s experiences as a United States Navy steward for Presidents Herbert Hoover, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Harry S. Truman, and Dwight D. Eisenhower.
alan devalerio is a former White House contract butler. He lives in Frederick, Maryland, and enjoys speaking engagements.
tina hager is an American international photojournalist and project manager with thirty-five years
experience. As a White House photographer for the George W. Bush administration, she completed a major photography project on the White House Residence staff. Currently based in Dubai she has completed more than six-hundred assignments in sixty-five countries, typically in volatile and adverse settings, capturing a diverse collection of international newsworthy events, unique areas of interest, and stories on the human condition.
scott harris is the executive director of University of Mary Washington Museums. He is also an editorial adviser and a frequent contributor to White House History Quarterly.
david ramsey is a corporate interior designer who specializes in commercial and historic preservation interiors.
donna hayashi smith is the associate curator of collections and registrar with the Office of the Curator, the White House. She is a regular contributor to White House History Quarterly.
Cream soup bowls from the Franklin D.
64 A DREAM JOB AT THE WHITE HOUSE REMEMBERED: Reflections of a Former Contract Butler alan d e valerio
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HONORING THE LEGACY OF MY FATHER, PRESIDENT GERALD R. FORD: First Daughter Susan Ford Bales Shares the Stories Behind the Design of the 2023 Official White House Christmas Ornament
susan ford bales
80
WHITE HOUSE WAX: Discovering the White House Record Library
john chuldenko
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PRESIDENTIAL SITES FEATURE: President William Howard Taft’s Wild Ride from Washington, D.C., to the Manassas Peace Jubilee scott harris
104
REFLECTIONS Of a White House Curator
With each passing day White House history unfolds on a public stage to be duly documented for posterity. Immeasurably more of that remarkable history, however, is experienced backstage in utilitarian spaces and ordinary routines. With this issue of White House History Quarterly our authors have turned to photo albums, storage areas, diaries, and keepsakes to bring unexplored history to light. They take us behind the scenes, exploring from the rooftop to basement, from past to present, to catch glimpses of the life and fabric of the White House unlikely to appear in history books.
The nearly one hundred people who serve on the Residence staff are dedicated to the smooth operation of the house. For many it is their life’s work, but for most their names will not be easily found by future scholars. Thanks to White House photographer Tina Hager, however, the early twenty-first-century staff will be remembered through the Residence Portraits Project. Encouraged by First Lady Laura Bush to complete the ambitious project, Hager ventured into the White House kitchens, elevators, laundry and mechanical rooms, and even under a restroom sink, creating beautiful photographic portraits that reveal not only the likenesses but the personalities and dedication of butlers, ushers, chefs, housekeepers, carpenters, gardeners, electricians, and others. Future historians will be grateful for this rich collection, shared here in the Quarterly, which documents an era in time.
The White House holds a collection of approximately five hundred works of art and sixty thousand objects, only a fraction of which can be in use or on display at any given time. Although many are stored off-site, there is a modest space within the White House itself where objects such as the bill-signing table and lectern used by the president can be quickly retrieved. Associate Curator of Collections Donna Hayashi Smith takes us on a tour of this small but state-ofthe-art collections storage area where precious objects are hung, boxed, shelved, studied, and kept safe from harm when off of public view.
One of many young Filipino men who enlisted in the U.S. Navy in the early twentieth century, Irineo Esperancilla (“IE”) would ultimately be assigned to serve as a “special steward attached to the persons” of four U.S. presidents. From 1930 to 1955, during years of war and peace, he served the presidents at the White House, on retreats, and aboard ships that took him around the world, carefully recording his experiences in an unpublished typescript. “I know that I did not have any part in history, but . . . it is my duty toward the
American people to put into writing my recollections of the great men whose service is the glory of my life,” he explained. His granddaughter Melinda Dart shares IE’s story with the Quarterly and describes how she preserved it.
Witnessed by only about six hundred people, the East Room funeral of President Abraham Lincoln is one of the most riveting events in all of White House history. Yet there is no photographic record. With documentary accounts and renderings by period artists as his starting point, David Ramsey has used twenty-first-century computer technology to create a collection of views depicting the canopied catafalque in the darkened East Room, draped in mourning, as only the funeral attendees would have seen it.
For Alan DeValerio, working at the White House was a dream fulfilled. He takes us back to the early 1980s to share his memories of the dinners and events he experienced in the role of contract butler.
Music lover John Chuldenko brings to light a little-known White House collection that holds special memories for two former White House residents, his uncles Chip and Jeff Carter, President Carter’s sons. Inspired by their stories of records played on a turntable in the Solarium, Chuldenko began a quest to find the collection. His persistence resulted in a rare opportunity to explore the record albums and play a few of his favorites, an experience he shares with the Quarterly
Millions of Official White House Ornaments are hung on American Christmas trees each holiday season. Produced by the White House Historical Association since 1981, the ornaments honor a different president or historic event each year. Susan Ford Bales shares her personal perspective on the stories behind the design of the 2023 ornament that honors her father, President Gerald R. Ford.
For our Presidential Sites feature, we experience an early version of presidential travel behind the scenes. When a jovial President William Howard Taft roared into Manassas in his White steamer automobile to speak at the 1911 Peace Jubilee, the assembled Civil War veterans were unaware of the harrowing adventure he had survived on Virginia’s muddy and flooded roads during his journey from the White House. Scott Harris retraces his route.
We open this issue with a special presidential behind-thescenes memory of the White House. With a moment recalled through a poem, “A Reflection of Beauty in Washington,”
President Jimmy Carter shares an unexpected sighting during a late night star-gazing excursion to the White House roof.
illustrated by Sarah Chuldenko
I recall one winter night going to the White House roof to study the Orion nebulae, but we could barely see the stars, their images so paled by city lights.
Suddenly we heard a sound primeval in its tone and rhythm coming from the northern sky. We turned to watch in silence long wavering V’s breasts transformed to brilliance by the lights we would have dimmed. The geese passed overhead, and then without a word we went down to a peaceful sleep, marveling at what we’d seen and heard.
TINA HAGER WITH MARCIA ANDERSON
tina hager is an accomplished photojournalist who has used her camera to capture history unfold around the world for more than thirty-five years. She served as a White House photographer during the presidency of George W. Bush, and it was during this time that she completed a special project to photograph members of the Executive Residence staff. The resulting portraits go well beyond documenting the likenesses of the nearly the one hundred professionals dedicated to ensuring the smooth operation of the house. Incorporating the historic White House rooms as well as the tools used by each of her subjects in their roles, the photographs capture responsibilities and personalities, and they provide a vivid record of a moment in time in White House history. Over the years the Quarterly has often drawn from the collection to enrich the stories we strive to tell in both words and pictures. Earlier this year, Tina Hager shared memories of the unique project with Marcia Anderson, editor of White House History Quarterly. Their conversation follows.
MARCIA ANDERSON: How did you come to work at the White House, and what did your job routinely involve?
TINA HAGER: I had been a freelance photographer working on current events and in challenging environments since the early 1990s. Occasionally I would come across news teams that were cohesive and professional. They appeared to have a camaraderie that appealed to me as much or more than the stereotypical lone photographer life-style. The penny dropped when I was working alone covering Kosovo. The White House notion started to ruminate while watching CNN in a hotel room. It was 1999, so there was obviously an already established White House team, and I discovered through research and contacts that the photographers were selected by the administration and were not carried over from one president to the next. So I had to wait for a new administration. There were no job postings, so I took a chance on sending my portfolio and resume the White House Photo Office immediately after the
election results. As I’m sure you recall, there was an extraordinary delay in the confirmation of the election results. I didn’t hear anything until April 2001, when I asked for my portfolio back; it was leather-bound and I wanted it back.
I started in early August 2001. I was hired as the third photographer to the president, with on-call duties for the first lady and the vice president. The daily schedule was intense, with 6:00 a.m. starts and 10:00 p.m. finishes most of the week and only an occasional day off. It was a precarious position; if you missed a motorcade you could lose your job. There were regular assignments to travel with the president on Air Force One. The photographers document every part of his schedule. We were recording for the National Archives and for the president. We were not press or media, so we had access to intricate and intimate meetings in the Oval Office. There were also times when we were kicked out.
PREVIOUS SPREAD
A selection of Tina Hager’s Residence portraits, c. 2001–04, clockwise from top left: Housekeeper Annie Elizabeth Brown; Carpenter Foreman Edgar Watson; Housekeeper Betty J. Finney; Houseman Bernard Ward; Curator William G. Allman; Executive Butler Ronald Guy; Assistant Usher Nancy F. Mitchell. And Hager is seen at work, 2001.
RIGHT
In her role as White House photographer, Tina Hager regularly traveled with President George W. Bush. She is seen (top) to the right of President Bush on Air Force One, 2003. While documenting the work of the president, she had access to the Oval Office, where she often photographed President Bush at work (right), 2001.
TOP:
PHOTO BY ERIC DRAPER, COURTESY OF TINA HAGER / BOTTOM: TINA HAGER, AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES
What was the inspiration for the Residence Portrait Project, and approximately how many members of the Residence staff did you photograph?
I mentioned the idea of the Residence staff project during my interview process. When I was a child I watched a British TV show called Upstairs, Downstairs. It was the Downton Abbey of its day. I loved the twin tale of two different dramas unfolding simultaneously, each in its own orbit. The Residence staff was much larger than the cast of the show! There were, and probably still are, almost one hundred members of the Residence staff.
Your photographs include such evocative shots as curators holding objects, engineers with tools, housekeepers with laundry, and butlers carrying serving trays. How were the shots planned? Did you work with each person to learn about his or her daily responsibilities?
On previous photo assignments, I tried to add some lateral concept to the shoot. I’m sure most photographers do the same. The props that define Residence staff members’ work are lovely. Sometimes they were hand-stitched linens, engraved silver, and works of art. Other times they were bowling pins, wrenches, and ladders. These were people I came to know personally. I did meet with every one of them to learn about his or her duties. I ultimately wanted each to have a presidential photo. I wanted them to be proud of their portraits. It was never my intention for the photographs to be candid.
Your subjects included many professionals who were accustomed to working behind the scenes— engineers, plumbers, housekeepers. I imagine that they would have rarely if ever appeared in official White House photographs. Did they enjoy the experience, or were they hesitant to be photographed?
The White House is a vast building with many levels. So much work is done to keep this very old house running. From winding a clock, keeping the plumbing working, constantly moving the priceless furniture and artwork, curating and planting the tulip bulbs in the Rose Garden. It was a hard sell at first. The staff are discreet people. They have great humility. Some took more time than others to agree to participate. As the endeavor grew and the feedback started to spread, much of the hesitancy and apprehension subsided. I want to believe that the staff realized that they were being recorded in history. I have no doubt that there was a gentle nudge or two from Chief Usher Gary Walters. The project became a team event of a kind. Some staff were instantly grateful, but I did receive a message after twenty years from one gentleman who said he disliked the project at the time but had finally made peace with it.
Why did you choose black-and-white film for the portraits?
I studied classic photography (old school) in Germany. Black-and-white, large format and Hasselblad. There was a tradition of black-and-white photography in the White House archives. David Hume Kennerly shot in black-and-white during his tenure as White House photographer. This project was the last time film was used at the White House, as we converted to digital during the Bush administration. There is an old photographer’s saying: “Tri-X film and be there.”
Many of my favorite photographs were taken in the underground utility areas. It is fun to see the equipment as well as the engineers at work. Was it difficult to set up shots in those spaces?
I had security clearance to access nearly all areas of the White House. The Secret Service vetted every photograph. It was fun exploring the unfrequented rooms, the places that are not seen on tours. With the help of a tripod and only ambient light, I managed to capture some nice moments.
You took a wonderful portrait of the Assistant Supervisor to the Housekeeping Department Benjamin Morrow. He is mirroring the famous pose of President Theodore Roosevelt in the portrait by John Singer Sargent, which can be seen in the background behind him. How did that come about?
That came up naturally. I saw the portrait and wanted to reflect the dignity in both men. The White House has had many profound personalities transition through the years. What these two men have in common is reverence.
You also used windows and mirrors in some of your photographs. There is a photograph of Jerome Warren, White House Residence
Doorman, looking toward a mirror in the president’s elevator. What makes these photos so poignant?
Reflection was the aim, both physical and metaphorical. I loved that man. He was very kind to me, as were many other members of the staff. Jerome rode an elevator all day and often with some of the most important people on the planet. Capturing an image in a reflection does give the impression that the photograph is candid, and the subject becomes almost ethereal.
Do you have a favorite photograph?
Jerome through the mirror. Both for its technical composition and, as I mentioned earlier, he was an incredibly kind man.
Benjamin Morrow struck a pose made famous by President Theodore Roosevelt in his portrait by John Singer Sargent, seen over Morrow’s shoulder in the East Room. Hager explains that the composition reflects the dignity of both men.
The image of long-serving Doorman Jerome Warren seen in the mirror of the president’s elevator is Tina Hager’s favorite photograph from the Residence Portraits Project.
Hager used natural light to create a portrait of White House Doorman Harold Hancock (left), who was joined by Spot, the president’s springer spaniel, in the Diplomatic Reception Room Foyer,
Hager also used evocative lighting in her portraits of Electrician James Barrett (opposite) in the East Room, Housekeeper Steven McDonald-Gates; and First Butler James Ramsey.
Hager’s project took her to the White House Kitchens and Flower Shop where she captured creative work underway. Her subjects included (clockwise from top left) florists Nancy Clarke and Wendy Elsasser, Staff Chef Paula Patton-Moutsos and Executive Chef Cristeta Comerford. Pastry Chef Susie Morrison is seen (opposite) in the Pastry Kitchen.
I know that many of your subjects held their positions for decades, and when I look at the photographs I can see the pride they take in their positions. How were you able to capture that so effectively?
I love this question. One story if I may. Dale Haney, a wonderful man and chief gardener who has worked at the White House for fifty years now, once gave me a small log. They had to cut down the cherry trees in the Rose Garden for some reason, and he gave me a piece of one. Years later, when my husband and I moved into our new house, he lifted that small log from a box and gave me the most curious look. I couldn’t stop laughing as I explained its significance to me. To this day I have it in my office.
Sometimes I can see people’s unease in front of a lens. At that point I will often look up, look them in the eye as a friend and as they look back at me,
as a friend, I steal the moment. The Hasselblad is a perfect instrument to capture this intimacy.
There is a lot of humor in the photographs as well. The photo of Kitchen Steward Adam Collick balancing a large pot on a few fingers above his head and the photo of White House Plumber Robert Gallahan smiling on the floor under a sink are good examples. Did you find that the Residence staff members enjoy a good laugh? Adam is a very strong man, just look at those arms! It was fun to show that. There is a lot of humor in the Residence, subtle but ever present. Some jobs like plumbing, for example, are hard to portray any other way. Under a sink seemed fitting. Mostly the staff brought their own humor with them. I was lucky to have such good material.
Among the many lighthearted portraits in Hagar’s Residence Portraits collection are, clockwise from top left, Kitchen Steward Adam Collick balancing a large soup pot above his head; Plumber Robert Gallahan preparing to work under a sink; and Melissa Naulin, associate curator of decorative arts, caught climbing a ladder in the Office of the Curator where even the tightest spaces are used for storage.
Tina Hager found inspiration in Edward Curtis’s portraits of Native Americans. Clockwise from top left: The Rush Gatherer—Arikara by Edward S. Curtis, 1909; and Tina Hager’s White House staff portraits of Chief Plumber Gary E. Williams; Housekeeper Lindsey R. Little; and Laundry Specialist Pearlina Blake.
RIGHT
It was First Lady Laura Bush who ensured Tina Hager was given time to complete the Residence Portraits Project. Mrs. Bush is seen here in a photograph made by Hager, 2003.
Are there any other stories about this project you would like to share?
This was work was done in my “free time,” and it spanned three years. At one point, I was asked to stop the project because there was simply not enough time in my schedule. I feel it was possibly because the events that were happening in world at the time cast a shadow on what was considered trivial. America was at war in Afghanistan and then Iraq. It was First Lady Laura Bush who understood the legacy value of the work and came to the rescue. She pushed it forward and insisted we complete the body of work. In fact, the photos were exhibited in the White House Visitor Center for many years.
Many of your photographs have appeared in White House History Quarterly over the years because they so effectively capture stories behind the scenes that have rarely been illustrated in more than two hundred years of White House life. I wish that collections such as yours had been undertaken in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries as well, and I imagine that publishers a century from now will continue to draw on your body of work. Did you have a feeling that you
were documenting history for the future as you worked?
Serving at the White House was a great honor. To have one’s photos in the National Archives is humbling, and I never took it for granted. Looking back at the work, and without pretension, I sincerely hope you are right. A new generation of White House Residence staff continues the work of these elegant and humble people. I had no such ambitions of someone in the future re-creating this project when I embarked on the portfolio. I loved the work of Edward Curtis and his capture in large format images—black-and-white and sepia-tone—of the Native American tribes in the early 1900s. More contemporary photographers have tried to emulate his work. I have also had ambitions to do the same, although I would not put myself in his league. He is one of my all-time heroes of the medium. The White House Residence Portraits Collection was assembled in a turbulent time. This is a turbulent time, and the same can be said twenty years from now, and we can barely imagine the technological advances in photography in the future. Yet simple film, good lighting, and modest subjects will still be there for a dedicated photographer with a passion for history and the art.
in the museum world , collections storage is not a sexy topic. It is rarely discussed or seen by the public, primarily for security reasons but also because these utilitarian areas often do not contain the most glamourous or noteworthy objects. Yet I would argue the spaces in and of themselves carry a history and represent changes and advancements in museum protocol, technology, and aesthetics.
At the White House, in an effort to modestly update curatorial storage rooms, funding was approved in 2018 for the long-overdue purchase of new archival storage cabinets for objects. The staff of the Office of the Curator collaborated with a museum storage systems consultant to select equipment for installation in 2019.
However, in early 2019, the Curator’s Office was informed it would need to completely empty its storage rooms to allow for the completion of a White House infrastructure project. Everything from floor to ceiling, including approximately 1,400 objects of diverse media, would need to be
removed from the rooms during a three-week period. Additional funding was subsequently awarded for a complete renovation—much more extensive than originally envisioned—with the stipulation from Timothy Harleth, the chief usher at the time, that the finished product be aesthetically and functionally pleasing—an area where he would feel comfortable bringing the first lady to see the collections.
Betty Monkman, who served in the Office of the Curator from 1967 to 2002, recalls that the storage rooms had not been renovated since 1983. A complete renovation was clearly a rare opportunity to hire an architectural firm to design a customized state-of-the-art, museum-quality storage area for a growing collection. An updated storage area would be a timely accomplishment ahead of the approaching American Alliance of Museums reaccreditation process that the White House would undergo in 2022–23. While working under such a very short timeline overwhelmed the staff,
A view through one of the new rolling storage carriages captures the mirrored gilded plateau made by Jean-François Denière and François Matelin in Paris and ordered for the State Dining Room by James Monroe in 1817.
BELOW
Painting racks in the room prior to the 2019–20 renovation reflect the work done during a renovation nearly forty years earlier, in 1983.
the chance to improve space utilization, combined with a modern streamlined design, justified the effort as practical, functional, and a significant improvement for curatorial operations. The availability of advanced technologies—temperature lighting,1 key card entry, compact storage systems, a smaller and more efficient air-handling unit, and modern, sustainable flooring—would improve overall collections care practices. Staff viewed this challenging project as the time to examine each object for condition and, occasionally, for first-time photography. It was also an opportunity to properly pack and send to long-term, off-site storage those objects that were extremely fragile or in unusable condition, enabling the remaining objects to be stored on-site properly. Museum colleagues from the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, Colonial Williamsburg, and Philadelphia Museum of Art generously invited curatorial staff to tour their recent collections storage renovations and offered helpful advice on equipment selection, documentation, and lessons learned.
In April 2019, after only a few weeks of planning meetings with architects and consultants, curatorial staff, with the assistance of art-handling contractors, started the initial process of removing
and processing collections from the rooms in a multistep, phased approach. Some objects were packed individually in travel frames,2 customized boxes, and crates designed and produced by a fine arts transit company and then transported to the Executive Support Facility for temporary (oneyear) and long-term storage. Object counts taken by curatorial staff included 256 framed paintings and prints, among them works by James McNeill Whistler and Mary Cassatt; 287 pieces of glassware, many of them from the Lincoln and other nineteenth-century services; ornate mirrors and looking glasses; ceramics; table lamps and other lighting fixtures; photographs; sculpture, including the extremely fragile porcelain birds created by Edward Marshall Boehm; eighteenth-century crèche figures; and furniture, including the bill-signing table, eagle lectern, and a spare Oval Office armchair. The very fragile looking glasses, ornate frames, and Boehm birds consumed a huge footprint in the room and, although not on display, had never left the White House because of their extreme fragility. For decades, it was safest to leave them in place. All objects were emptied from the rooms by May 22, 2019. The rooms were then completely gutted.
The storage rooms had formed a horseshoe-shape until the mid-1990s, when the center utilitarian storage room was repurposed to become a packing and study room for objects to be shared by curatorial and operations staffs. In this carpeted room were a large air-handling unit, packing table, and office supplies. The adjacent rooms still had mint green tiled walls dating to the Truman era with “No Smoking” signs, once penned by White House calligraphers, on the east and west walls—a reminder that smoking was once allowed indoors.
When a section of the packing room wall was removed, workers discovered a wall-size railroad map of the Soviet Union underneath the drywall, its installation date unknown. The wall section had a layer of steel sandwiched in it, perhaps indicating the room was once used as a meeting room. The bottom border of the map identifies it as: “Prepared by the Army Map Service (AM), Corps of Engineers, U.S. Army, Washington, D.C. Copied in 1951 from material furnished by the Central Intelligence Agency.” A curious discovery, the map was placed in storage as an ephemera object for possible future display.
Plans for a phased-in reinstallation of curatorial storage were interrupted in June 2020 when
another infrastructure project required staff to empty an additional storage room containing more than 5,000 objects of ceramic, silver, and glass. In an effort to inventory and reorganize the collections as they were being moved, curatorial staff and contractors photographed the objects, many of which were part of larger historic china and glassware services, and assessed them for condition and use. The cabinets were relocated and then refilled, but some objects were packed for transit to long-term off-site storage. The decision was made to continue the practice, initiated after 9/11, of dividing pantry services between the White House and the Executive Support Facility so that no one service could ever be lost or destroyed in the event of a disaster.
A major challenge during both storage renovation projects was the COVID-19 pandemic shutdown in 2020 and 2021. The shutdown delayed the first curatorial storage project but work never completely stopped. Rooms were outfitted with flooring, lighting, and storage equipment in late 2020 and early 2021. In anticipation of a growing collection, only objects deemed necessary for on-site storage (a much smaller percentage than what was initially in the room) were returned in late March 2021.
The architects wanted to open up the space for improved workflow and aesthetics. The spaghettilike tangles of conduits, pipes, and ductwork were either removed or hidden closer to the ceiling. Portions of the east and west walls of the packing room were removed to create walkways, and a wall was built where the interior north doors led into the original storage area. The much smaller air-handling unit, equivalent to the size of a refrigerator, was placed behind a sliding paintings rack, where it could be camouflaged by a framed object.
Selection of a durable, easy to maintain, yet neutral flooring material proved to be a challenge. After evaluating many products, which were beautiful but not appropriate for safely rolling carts with fragile objects, a sustainable linoleum was selected and a waterjet custom border was designed by curatorial staff for the new revitalized packing room.
Temperature lighting in the rooms enables the lighting of other locations to be re-created, eliminating the need for objects to leave storage for consideration.3 LED track lighting replaced the halogen system in the packing room, and adjustable swing-arm LED lighting mounted around a wall rack on the east wall is readily available for conservators and staff to study and treat objects.
OPPOSITE TOP AND RIGHT
The newly refurbished storage room features an open work space with a smaller air handler camouflaged behind a storage rack, LED track lighting, and fresh durable linoleum flooring.
OPPOSITE BELOW
Adjustable swingarm LED lighting mounted around a wall rack on the east wall allows conservators and staff to study and treat objects.
The storage systems consultant advised on efficient space utilization with a plan for integrating compact storage, rotary shelving systems, open shelving, paintings racks, and even the reuse of some existing cabinets. Stationary racks mounted onto some walls would house extremely fragile objects such as gilded looking glasses and clocks that require stability. To accommodate the priorities of operations staff, an open shelving system was designed near the door so that frequently moved objects, such as the eagle lectern, State Dining Room table leaves, and bill-signing table would be easily accessible.
RIGHT
Paintings of varying sizes are stored on sliding racks while not on display in the White House.
OPPOSITE
The rolling carriages in the refurbished storage room (top) allow for secure storage of objects while optimizing limited space. Lamps are stored securely in the unit seen here, while a fragile looking glass hangs safely on a wall mounted rack. Such frequently used objects as the eagle lectern and bill-signing table are positioned near the door for easy access (below).
Renovation of the second, more narrow storage room presented challenges, especially in 2020. The need for appropriate social distancing meant that fewer contractors were hired to assist the curatorial staff, slowing down the deinstallation and packing process. This work required careful focus in a small space.
Nevertheless, curatorial staff seized the opportunity to improve collections care and worked with a contractor to design and produce customized storage boxes to house State Service teacups, bouillon cups, and cream soup bowls. These lidded, archival, individual-celled boxes replaced utilitarian plastic tubs and were uniformly labeled for easy identification by curatorial and butlering staff and stored in designated cabinets for easy retrieval. The improvements would also enable staff to perform the annual inventory of pantry objects in a more timely and accurate manner.
Funding was approved to replace the flooring with the same sustainable linoleum sourced for the previous renovation as well as to acquire twelve new visual storage cabinets designed for museums. Funds were also secured to hire the same fine arts handlers. The move-out deadline of August 1, 2020, was met in July. The room was completed, and objects were installed in new cabinets by January 15, 2021, five days before Inauguration Day.
The collections storage renovations were demanding, with infrastructure projects dictating major collection moves that mandated expedited planning and execution time. To make it all possible, the Curator’s Office was fortunate to receive generous funding and support from the Executive Residence and the White House Historical Association. Talented and flexible contractors who were willing to assist at the last minute during the COVID-19 pandemic shutdown enabled the successful and timely completion of the projects. Moving the collections in two different storage areas forced curatorial staff to appreciate the history and contemplate the future of the rooms themselves while carefully considering each object stored there. In the end, the opportunity to start from scratch to design useful and functional storage spaces and to address and rectify museum object “demons” were “once-in-a-career” gifts for this curatorial staff.
1. Temperature lighting refers to the warmth or coolness of light emitted, warmer light being more yellow, cooler being more blue. Our goal was to have a system that could mimic a room in the White House whether it be in the Private Quarters, with warmer lighting similar to a sunlit room, or a public room, with only one window and limited natural light, so that an object in storage could be viewed under the same lighting as in the intended exhibit location and thus eliminate the need to move an object in and out of storage to view as it would appear on display.
2. A travel frame is an inner frame onto which an object can be secured for transit, often inside of a crate. The frame can be utilized for multiple similar sized objects fitted with a clip system to secure the objects onto the frame. Travel frames are cost effective because they can be reused.
ABOVE
Customized archival storage boxes with individual cells now hold State Service teacups, bouillon cups, and cream soup bowls, replacing the plastic tubs used in the past. Uniform labeling allows for easy identification by curatorial and butlering staff.
OPPOSITE
Customized museum cabinets and shelving on the floor store figures from the White House’s elegant and elaborate Neapolitan crèche as well as easels, archival boxes, and other supplies.
in 1901, following the cession of the Philippines to the United States by Spain in the Treaty of Paris that ended the Spanish-American War, President William McKinley issued an executive order permitting the United States Navy to enlist Filipino men. For many who chose to volunteer, active service in the navy offered the opportunity for adventure and advancement beyond what they could expect to find at home. Most of these Filipino recruits were assigned to serve as stewards aboard U.S. Navy ships.
One such recruit, Irineo Esperancilla, would ultimately serve a long and distinguished career as a “special steward attached to the persons” of four U.S. presidents. From 1930 to 1955, he witnessed some of the most consequential chapters of American history unfold as he attended to Herbert Hoover, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Harry S. Truman, and Dwight D. Eisenhower in the White House itself; aboard the USS Arizona, USS Augusta, USS Houston, USS Indianapolis, USS Iowa, USS Potomac, USS Sequoia, and USS Williamsburg; at such presidential retreats at Camp Rapidan, Hyde Park, Shangri-La (now Camp David), the Little White House, and Gettysburg; and on presidential campaign trains that stopped in nearly every state in the nation. During years of war and peace, Esperancilla traveled with the presidents to Europe, Africa, South America, the Middle East, and the
Virgin Islands, and on vacations to such distant places as the Galapagos Islands. He served whiskey to Winston Churchill, prepared food that Joseph Stalin refused to taste, and ensured countless world leaders and diplomats were made comfortable during visits with the presidents. From 1945 to 1955 as chief steward of the U.S. Navy he was in charge of all stewards serving the first families.
With the help and encouragement of his wife, Maryann, Esperancilla drafted a memoir, and saved photographs, letters, and mementos documenting his career. He explained, “I know that I did not have any part in history, but I was in the rare position to closely observe these four leaders of the greatest democracy in the world (not just as historical figures, but also as human beings). I feel, therefore, it is my duty toward the American people to put into writing my recollections of the great men whose service is the glory of my life, that of my children, my children’s children, for the ages to come.” Although his memoir was not published in his lifetime, his granddaughter, Melinda Dart, took on the task of compiling and editing his story, which she self-published in 2022 as a book entitled A Glimpse of Greatness. In the interview that follows she shares her grandfather’s story and her own experience creating the book with Marcia Anderson, editor of White House History Quarterly.
LEFT
A postcard captures a view of Irineo Esperancilla’s first homeland. Fishermen are seen at work on the Iloilo River, lined with thatchedroof houses along the river bank, Panay Island, the Philippines, 1910.
PREVIOUS SPREAD
Irineo Esperancilla is seen in a photograph that accompanied a 1938 press release announcing his selection as President Franklin Roosevelt’s personal chef (p. 34) and in uniform (p. 35).
After joining the United States Navy, Esperancilla first served as a steward on the first USS Noa, a Clemsonclass destroyer.
MARCIA ANDERSON: Melinda, could you start by telling us what led your grandfather, Irineo Esperancilla, from the Philippines to a career in the U.S. Navy?
MELINDA DART: Yes. My grandfather loved his homeland, but he wrote that he was always fascinated by the “open sea and the exalted history of the United States.” He longed to see America and what it had to offer him. When the USS Noa arrived in the bay of Iloilo in 1925, near his hometown, he took the opportunity to answer his call to serve. Without even telling his parents, my grandfather enlisted for four years in the United States Navy. He was immediately assigned as a temporary steward. His first few years were typical for a navy recruit, but my grandfather took great pride in his job as a navy steward.
In 1930 your grandfather was assigned to work at Camp Rapidan for President and Mrs. Herbert Hoover. Did he imagine his assignments would include working for the presidents when he joined the navy?
Being assigned to serve President and Mrs. Hoover was something he never would have imagined. Considering the circumstances that preceded this assignment, he believed that it must have been his God-given destiny. You see, prior to receiving these orders, my grandfather had served a disciplinary
action for being considered AWOL when his leave status ended. He had been visiting his family in the Philippines and sent a wire telegram requesting an extension; he did not receive a reply. His grandmother had passed away, and he stayed to attend her funeral. Upon returning to the ship, my grandfather was given “forced residence in the brig” for thirty days. He thought his career might be over, but you can imagine his sigh of relief when he was released after fifteen days for good behavior. Receiving orders that he would be one of the stewards serving President and Mrs. Hoover was beyond his every dream!
It was interesting to read that several presidents gave your grandfather nicknames. Why was that, and which name should we use in this interview?
My grandfather began his memoir by stating his full name, Irineo Esperancilla, so the nicknames given by the presidents were significant to him. My grandfather described his first encounter with President Roosevelt aboard the presidential yacht, the USS Sequoia. As his personal attendant, he reported to FDR aboard the ship, giving his first and last name (while checking his strong Filipino accent). The president immediately told my grandfather that he would never be able to pronounce that name and asked if he could simply call him “Isaac.” So Isaac he remained
for his twelve years of service to FDR.
When my grandfather was promoted through the ranks to chief steward, the presidents who followed called him “Chief.” Another nickname mentioned at the end of the book was “Renny.” This was the name my grandmother called my grandfather; I heard it often growing up. I also noticed that throughout the collection of materials my grandmother kept, she had written my grandfather’s initials while labeling and referencing items, such as “IE’s notes” or “Letter to IE.” I would like to use his initials, IE, for this interview because they reference his full name.
After working for President Hoover, IE was assigned to serve Presidents Roosevelt, Truman, and Eisenhower. His role immersed him in the most significant events of the twentieth century. Tell us about the records he kept of his career and why he felt it was important to preserve the history he witnessed.
My grandfather kept so many original documents and artifacts related to his time in service to the presidents! There is a collection of a variety of menus from presidential meals. These include the “President’s Mess Thanksgiving Dinner” from the USS Indianapolis in 1936 and a dinner menu from Key West, Florida, with President Truman in 1951. A Christmas dinner was also in this collection, titled “Season’s Greetings from the USS Williamsburg.” Turkey gumbo, baked Smithfield ham, and Parkerhouse rolls were items on this presidential menu. Others in this collection even had IE’s notes on what to serve first, second, third, fourth, and last. I also discovered typed menus on paper for meals aboard the ships, mainly the USS Williamsburg. Along with the menus, I found several copies of military orders, detailing IE’s trips with presidents abroad, as well as his responsibilities aboard presidential yachts and at the Little White House in Key West. One document that stood out to my family and me was IE’s orders aboard the USS Potomac with President Roosevelt. These orders specified that he was not to leave the immediate vicinity of the president unless ordered to do so, and in the case of “Abandon Ship” my grandfather was to assist the president.
In addition to orders, IE kept other important documents. I found lists that included stewards’ names and duties he had recorded, mainly during the Truman years. Original booklets from Camp
Rapidan, the USS Williamsburg, and “Trips of the President of the United States in 1948” were among the items preserved. There were also memos from navy commanders and the naval aide to the president, commending IE’s “almost legendary service.” Letters of appreciation from Presidents Truman and Eisenhower were a special part of IE’s historical collection.
Among these records and artifacts were pictures of the Filipino staff and crew from the USS Williamsburg at Key West and at Camp David. His collection even included an ashtray and patch from the USS Williamsburg, newspapers signed by FDR and President Truman, and personally signed photos from President and Mrs. Eisenhower.
My grandfather was fully aware that history was unfolding before him as he quietly served behind the scenes. He knew that by preserving everything he could, he would be able to tell another side of the story, another side of history—the history that we don’t always see.
Although I had this historical treasure for a few years, I never had the time I truly needed to spend going through it. During the pandemic, I realized my opportunity had come; I opened my grandmother’s trunk where everything was kept. As I began to read and process the original manuscript, notes, letters, and other records, I knew that this had now become my God-given destiny. Just like my grandmother, I knew this was a story that had to be told, no matter what it took.
To begin, I simply took out my laptop and started typing my grandfather’s manuscript. Word by word, page by page, I created a digital form of the original. Once this was complete, I sorted through the material—the letters, memos, pictures, and notes. If there was a reference in the manuscript pertaining to something I found, I added details in the appropriate place. I researched the events my grandfather described to learn more about the history he witnessed.
I wanted to keep my grandfather’s perspective, vision, and voice for the book authentic. His words rang true to me as I compiled the material: “I am not a historian, only a modest witness to history; therefore, it is not my job to describe dates and accounts of historical events. My aim is only to contribute to history my personal observations.”
OPPOSITE
IE preserved the story of his White House service with his own memoir. His granddaughter Melinda Dart would later digitize his typewritten pages (opposite) as she began to compile his biography in book form.
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IE’s collection of newspaper clippings, memos, menus, and other ephemera help to tell the story of his years of service.
I love the title of the book, A Glimpse of Greatness. Is it a quote from the text?
Thank you, Marcia. A Glimpse of Greatness is not an exact quote from the original manuscript, but IE used the word “greatness” often when he described the presidents. After learning how he contributed “to the ease and success of all the functions involved” behind the scenes at the White House and other places he served, it was clear to me that my grandfather also carried that greatness. In the preface I described the book as the amazing experience of a Filipino American and his comrades and how they were destined to be that “glimpse of greatness” that was never recorded in the history books about four of the nation’s presidents.
Among the things that come through so strongly in the text is the pride IE took in his service, his humility, and his respect for the presidents he served. His memoir is written without any hint of judgment or criticism. What do you think was behind his perspective?
I appreciate your acknowledging this. My grandfather’s pride in service, humility, and respect for the presidents stood out to me as well. I believe IE’s perspective was rooted in his belief that he was called to serve a greater purpose in history. This call to serve the presidents had nothing to do with position, politics, or party; he was committed to serving them to the best of his ability simply because that was his job—to work behind the scenes for the men who held the office of the presidency. His work also allowed him to gain a unique perspective.
While serving President Hoover at the beginning of IE’s career, he discovered that “despite all its glory, it is very hard to be the president of the United States.” IE considered it a privilege and saw the men he served not just as historical figures but also as human beings. His observations and positive interactions with the presidents resulted in this genuine perspective that he summarized in one sentence: “He who reaches the presidency of the United States is not just a great human being, but also a great gentleman.”
You were just three years old when IE died. Do you remember him?
Yes, I do remember him. The nickname my siblings and I gave him was Pop-Pop. I remember him helping my parents by taking my older brother and sister to school. I would happily tag along, knowing
he would take me to his home afterward. I have clear memories of eating breakfast at my grandparents’ house, where he made me cream of wheat. Of course, I had no idea that the hands that prepared my breakfast had also prepared meals for presidents and world leaders such as Sir Winston Churchill. To me, he was simply my Pop-Pop.
Was it your grandmother who encouraged you and your family to learn about grandfather’s career?
Yes, my grandmother kept my grandfather’s legacy alive in simple ways. She proudly displayed his picture that is on the front cover of the book in her home for as long as I can remember. She talked about my grandfather’s service often, recalling notable stories including the cracked chimney incident with Mrs. Hoover and the run-in with Joseph Stalin in Tehran. My grandmother also did research of her own, looking for books or articles that could have possibly acknowledged her husband who served the presidents so well. She knew what an important role he played in history and believed that this was a story worth telling. With notes addressed to me throughout the collection of materials, my grandmother hoped that I would one day share it with the world.
It is clear from the letters and documents you share in the book that the presidents appreciated the dedication and efficiency of IE. Tell us about the mutual respect that they shared.
Just as my grandfather honored the office of the presidency, I believe each of the presidents honored the “office” or roles of those assigned to work at the White House, presidential yachts, and retreats. IE faithfully performed his duties behind the scenes as the presidents performed their official duties. I believe they shared an understanding that although their roles were vastly different, each was valued and important. This understanding created an environment in which those who served and those who were being served genuinely treated each other with kindness and respect. From the “usual friendly” greetings of President Hoover to the meaningful conversation with President Eisenhower, IE’s memoir is filled with stories that reflect this mutual respect and understanding on a daily basis.
Throughout his White House career, Irineo Esperancilla was in many group photographs of the Filipino stewards who served the presidents. He is seen (above), standing to the right of President Frankin D. Roosevelt aboard the USS Houston, 1936. At left he stands on the far left in Key West while serving President Harry S. Truman.
President Truman joins the Filipino stewards aboard the USS Williamsburg. IE is in the center of the second row, in front of the president.
Shortly before his retirement, IE posed with Dwight and Mamie Eisenhower, his fourth and last president and first lady, at Camp David. He is seated second from the left of the president, 1955.
Irineo Esperancilla served President Franklin D. Roosevelt for his entire twelve-year presidency. Among the mementos IE saved from that period are the menu for the Thanksgiving Dinner served in the President’s Mess aboard the USS Indianapolis, the cover of This Week magazine signed for him by the president, and his orders for service to the president dated June 3, 1940.
Esperancilla’s ephemera collection from his years of service to President Harry S. Truman includes many menus from dinners he planned and served on the USS Williamsburg and at Key West. President Truman wished IE good luck in an autographed copy of his photo on the cover of Parade.
Your grandfather also greatly admired each of the first ladies he served. He described Lou Hoover as gracious, kind, and caring. He remembered Eleanor Roosevelt as a friendly, caring person who was always doing something for others. What can you tell us about IE’s relationships with these two women and with Bess Truman and Mamie Eisenhower?
My grandfather truly embraced every part of his job, which included serving these first ladies. His relationships with each of them were filled with that same mutual respect that was evident with the presidents he served. I found it both heartwarming and fascinating to read the untold stories of the first ladies and the stewards who served them.
Since Camp Rapidan was IE’s first assignment at a presidential retreat, he was immediately able to observe and discern the genuine kindheartedness of Mrs. Hoover. I believe she also embraced her duties as first lady and enjoyed talking to the stewards as she took charge over them on each visit. Mrs. Hoover valued the Filipinos as navy stewards, but, more important, as human beings. She listened to their story of discrimination in Culpeper, Virginia, and took action on it. She led by example as she brought guests to the kitchen and complimented the Filipino staff. IE also wrote about a smoking cracked chimney he rushed to repair with Mrs. Hoover. The caring relationship shared was evident when Mrs. Hoover rang the bell and waited for my grandfather to arrive. The crack was patched with flour, water, and a conversation with Mrs. Hoover. At the end of her term, she took the time to gather the stewards and show gratitude for the fine service they provided. My grandfather became a part of this untold history of this first lady. I do not think her graciousness came as a surprise because IE believed that if she was a first lady, then she must also carry that same greatness that he observed in her husband.
While serving Presidents Roosevelt and Truman, IE became a familiar face to the first ladies. He experienced Mrs. Roosevelt’s kindness and wrote that everyone always felt at ease in her presence. Mrs. Truman’s kind, quiet nature was observed often during my grandfather’s time at Key West and aboard the presidential yachts. IE was filled with emotion during his farewell to President and Mrs. Truman.
As for his time serving Mrs. Eisenhower, my grandfather wrote about a special memory that
truly touched his heart. Once at Camp David, the first lady arrived at the retreat and presented the Filipino stewards with a basket of fresh mangoes. He remembered that she spent some time in the Philippines during the president’s military career and knew that Filipinos enjoyed this fruit. IE recalled other special moments with Mrs. Eisenhower as well, including planning a successful menu with her at the Geneva Summit in Switzerland and helping her granddaughter sign the guest book at Camp David.
After his retirement, IE would occasionally see Hoover, Truman, and Eisenhower, but he wrote, “I can no longer see the boss whom I served for the longest time, during the most beautiful years of my own life, the late President Roosevelt.” Do you have a sense of how Roosevelt’s death affected your grandfather? And did he play a role in his funeral?
Yes. When I read this part of the manuscript, it brought tears to my eyes. With the death of President Roosevelt, my grandfather had suffered a great loss.
IE hands a newspaper to First Lady Mamie Eisenhower at Camp David. He fondly remembered her gift of fresh mangoes to the Filipino stewards, a favorite fruit of many from the Philippines.
He wrote that there were “no words that can describe the feelings of a man who spent twelve years of his life with this extraordinary human being.” Spending almost every one of those days serving this president, witnessing his superhuman strength despite his physical limitations, IE felt that his own life had changed forever.
Although my grandfather did not write about having a role in the funeral, he rushed to the White House to wait for the body of FDR to arrive. IE stood before the open coffin of his former boss, commander in chief, and friend, unable to believe that he would no longer hear this president call the name Isaac again. FDR’s daughter was there and touched my grandfather’s arm, whispering, “I know how you feel, Isaac.”
After the president’s burial at Hyde Park, the Filipino stewards received orders to stay at the White House to assist with packing and moving the Roosevelt family’s belongings. This was a difficult task for my grandfather; he wrote that FDR’s “voice that had called me often throughout the past twelve years was silent for eternity.” IE also expressed his gratitude for the opportunity given to him to go to Hyde Park to see the president’s grave; he spent time visiting Mrs. Roosevelt after this great tragedy.
IE wrote that President Truman was “like some good neighbor of yours” and that he had “simplicity in greatness.” Do you have any favorite stories from the Truman years?
I have so many favorite stories that my grandfather wrote about in the Truman chapter. I’ll start with the discovery of President Truman’s simple greatness aboard the USS Augusta. When the president first came aboard, he gave the order that no crew member should come to attention when he met the president. IE had the great pleasure of observing President Truman walk around the ship, making personal connections with service members, regardless of rank. He asked where they were from, signed letters, and he even ate meals with the seamen. President Truman refused to be served at a table while aboard the ship; he stood in the self-service waiting line with his tray in hand. Regarding these simple actions, IE wrote, “Here was living proof that in the American democracy, the presidency has nothing to do with birthright or other social privileges, but it is the right of any citizen who is qualified by his talents and honesty.”
Another favorite story from the Truman years was aboard the USS Williamsburg. IE truly loved serving the president on this yacht. He took great pride in his duties and preparations for the presidential quarters and kept them in “tip-top shape.” When President Truman entered for inspection, I can envision him smiling at my grandfather, shaking his hand, and offering kind words of a job well done.
One of many noteworthy stories with President Truman was the laying of the cornerstone of the United Nations Building in 1949. IE accompanied the president to New York and called it an “especially great day”; General Carlos Romulo of the Philippines, the president of the General Assembly of the United Nations, was also there. My grandfather witnessed the historic exchange of compliments of these two presidents. “General Romulo, you are the president of the greatest organization in the world,” my grandfather recalled his commander in chief saying. General Romulo replied, “You are the president of one of the greatest countries in the world.” My grandfather was proud to be an American citizen who was born in the Philippines.
I must mention one more story about President Truman that occurred after his time in office. He was visiting the Library of Congress where my grandfather worked as a guard after he retired. Truman recognized IE immediately, greeted him, and shook his hand. A January 1959 article in the Washington Post described this reunion saying that, “Mr. Truman had a warm handclasp for an old friend.” Their picture was taken on that day. IE sent the photo to the former president, requesting his signature, along with a box of candy for Mrs. Truman’s birthday. President Truman signed and returned the photo with a letter expressing how much he enjoyed seeing IE in Washington.
Your grandfather first met Eisenhower while he was traveling with Roosevelt during World War II. IE served primarily at Camp David during the Eisenhower presidency and was especially impressed by Eisenhower’s culinary skills. What strikes you as special about this time?
During these final years of service to the presidents, my grandfather continued to perform each of his duties with excellence and ease. He described President Eisenhower’s culinary skills as a highlight at Camp David. IE’s job was to prepare and heat the charcoals for the outdoor grill. The president
immediately followed, tying a steward’s apron around his waist and placing the steak on the grill. What strikes me about this special time is that even during the last years of my grandfather’s service, he continued to look for the simple greatness in each president he served. IE delighted in observing President Eisenhower as his guests complimented him and asked for more of his famous tenderloin.
Your grandfather didn’t discuss his own personal life in his memoir, but it is hard not to wonder how he found time to marry and raise a family during the years he spent long hours serving the presidents.
Although I do not have the details of how my grandparents met, I know that family was important to them. As my grandfather spent time away from home to serve the presidents, he knew that his family contributed to his success. My beautiful
grandmother was his glimpse of greatness on the home front. Her quiet strength as a military spouse allowed my grandfather to fully embrace his service to the presidents. Their daughter, my mom, Ann, lived her whole life as a navy family member. She met and married a navy recruit from the Philippines, my dad, Johnny Paje. He was also one of the many dedicated Filipinos who quietly served behind the scenes at the White House. The basement kitchen, which serves the White House staff, is named JP’s Cafe in honor of him. Although I was proud to have a dad who “worked at the White House” and a grandfather who “served four presidents,” I never fully realized their contribution to presidential history. Now my younger brother, Joseph Paje, plays an important role in and around the White House as the operations foreman. He carries the simple greatness of those before him, faithfully serving behind the scenes.
IE married Maryann Esperancilla in the 1940s. Their daughter Ann married Johnny Paji, a navy recruit from the Philippines who served in the White House as a cook for many years. The staff kitchen is now known as JP’s Cafe in his honor. Their grandson Joseph Paje now serves on the White House Residence staff as the operations foreman, and their granddaughter Melinda Dart, is editor of her grandfather’s memoir.
Following his retirement in 1955, IE worked to preserve his memories of the history he witnessed during his years of service to the presidents. In 1959, he shared his story with Eugene Gonda for a feature story in Look magazine. Gonda and IE are pictured outside of the White House during the interview.
It was during the Eisenhower years that IE chose to retire from the navy at about age fifty. Why do you think he made that decision?
I believe my grandfather’s decision was based on his simple desire to live a “normal” life and be home with his family. Retiring from the service at this time in his life would give him the opportunity to secure employment and enable him to be home. Seeing three of the four presidents with their adult children, I think IE knew that the time for him would come when his own children would soon be adults. In his memoir, he described a final conversation with a sitting president about retirement:
I remember clearly the president looked at me and said, “What is this bad news I hear? Are you leaving us, Chief?”
With all the guests now listening I replied, “Mister President, I am retiring now because I would like to get another job before I am fifty years old.” President Eisenhower then asked me how much my retirement pay would be, and we had quite a meaningful exchange of ideas and thoughts about the retirement conditions for service members and the strict limitation of
their earnings while receiving a pension from the government. Then the boss gave me a warm handshake, followed by his guests, and I left the room. This conversation with President Eisenhower was profound to me. I felt that he was genuinely concerned and understood the challenges of a man in the military like me.
This issue of White House History Quarterly is titled “Behind the Scenes,” a fitting title for your grandfather’s story. After publishing A Glimpse of Greatness, do you have a sense of the significance of preserving the stories of those who served behind the scenes?
Preserving the stories of those who served behind the scenes has never been more important to me than it is now. I have a greater understanding of how the untold stories are necessary to gain insight on major events in history and the smaller events that surround them. These stories provide a unique perspective. I also think it’s important to recognize and honor those who served behind the scenes; the tasks they performed were invaluable to the ease and success of both daily living and major events of presidential life.
Have you learned more about other Filipino stewards as a result of publishing the book?
Publishing the book has shed light on the untold stories of those who served behind the scenes during the presidencies of Hoover through Eisenhower. As a result, some family members of the stewards who served have reached out to me to express gratitude for the insight they gained from reading A Glimpse of Greatness. I am continuing to research to learn more about those Filipino stewards who served during my grandfather’s time in service, since there is so little information recorded. I am currently in the process of working on another book to recognize the contribution of the Filipino stewards who served the presidents.
My grandfather was laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery. Our family visited often with my dear grandmother when I was growing up. We continue to visit and share the untold stories with our own children. I believe that they will also bring to the world their own glimpse of greatness, as they carry the legacy of their great-grandfather, a Filipino navy steward who personally served behind the scenes of four of the nation’s presidents.
Yes, I’d like to close with this excerpt from a letter from the naval aide to the president to IE, 1955, which summarizes my grandfather’s service:
I cannot but feel the deep sense of loss to this office, to the Navy, and to all of us aware of your faithful and almost legendary service to Presidents Hoover, Roosevelt, Truman and finally President Eisenhower. When all the histories for this era are written, you may indeed have the gratification of reading between the lines and knowing to what extent you played an important part in the making of these histories. During the famed trips of the former Presidents, and in helping them fulfill engagements with the distinguished guests they have entertained and were entertained by in the United States and in other countries—your knowledge, understanding, leadership ability and the necessary tact and courtesy required, which you never failed to exhibit, contributed much to the ease and success of all the functions involved. There was never a concern as to the
successful outcome of any services rendered by you. Your assured manner and unvarying competence left nothing to be desired. For all this you have a right to feel singularly rich in memories of a job well done.
Your service record, while officially correct as to your outstanding service, does not give you full justice for the many unwritten talents contributed by you to each instance of your assigned missions. Were detailed credits to be written I’m sure they would fill many pages. It is understandably not possible to list them all.
Following his retirement from the navy, IE remained in touch with Presidents Truman, Eisenhower, and Hoover. In 1959, while working as a security guard at the Library of Congress, he crossed paths with Truman who was attending an event. A photo of their encounter was published in the Library’s Information Bulletin.
A memo to IE from the Naval Aide to the President, dated June 25, 1955, summarizes IE’s accomplishments during his years of “faithful and almost legendary” active service to Presidents Hoover, Roosevelt, Truman, and Eisenhower.
DAVID RAMSEY
the late historian william seale often stated that Abraham Lincoln sanctified the White House.1 Various plans after Lincoln’s assassination to either demolish it or replace it were proposed, but thankfully never implemented. Many of the presidents and first ladies who followed Lincoln revered the mansion as historic, even quaint, with a nostalgia for the Founding Fathers. This reverence for the White House was also generated from the emotion that the national events of Lincoln’s administration, Lincoln’s great acts, and his personal tragedies induced. No event engendered more emotion than his assassination, his lying in state in the East Room, and his White House funeral. This article attempts to re-create—and represent, through computer technology—what firsthand sketches and later published drawings depicted of that grievous event.
A widely distributed period engraving, first published in Harper’s Weekly on May 6, 1865, depicts the funeral with Mary Lincoln standing at right in front of the coffin in heavy mourning dress, although she actually did not attend the service but stayed in the Private Quarters, overwhelmed by her grief. The artist had begun his sketch ahead of the event and assumed she would attend the funeral.
We have firsthand sketches and published drawings of the East Room at the time of Lincoln’s funeral that capture the essence of the room but omit interesting details that would have been apparent had the room been empty. On April 19, 1865, more than six hundred people crowded the darkened room, making it almost impossible for artists to document the mourning dress that had been thoughtfully and loyally created by the White House staff for the first martyred president. But we also have two written accounts that can help complete the details. The first document is background. The December 18, 1861, New York Herald, includes a description of First Lady Mary Todd Lincoln’s redecoration of the room in the fall of 1861. Her work was regarded as a decorating triumph, and a later visitor to the White House found the carpet astonishing: “The most exquisite carpet ever on the East Room was a velvet one, chosen by Mrs. Lincoln. Its ground was of pale sea green, and in effect looked as if ocean, in gleaming and transparent waves, were tossing roses at your feet.”2
The most thorough description of the East Room in mourning dress is on pages 58–59 from the book created as the official record of the entire Lincoln funeral. Memorial Record of the Nation’s Tribute to Abraham Lincoln was written and compiled by Benjamin Franklin Morris and presented to James Harlan, the secretary of the interior in Andrew Johnson’s administration. These descriptions and numerous magazine illustrations inform the conjectural views presented in this article. Created by the author through computer technology, they aim to fill in some of the details of the furnishings in the East Room at the time of Lincoln’s funeral, as well as the mourning dress.
notes
The author wishes to thank Steve Larson and Jessica Marx of Adelphi Paper Hangings, LLC, for assisting with the Lincoln East Room wallcovering pattern by sharing a high resolution image of their “Renaissance Strapwork” pattern.
1. See, for example, William Seale’s Foreword to White House History, no. 24 (Fall 2008): 2.
2. Mary Clemmer Ames, Ten Years in Washington: Life and Scenes in the National Capital, as a Woman Sees Them (Hartford, Conn.: A. D. Worthington, 1873), 171.
The President’s house once more assumes the appearance of comfort and comparative beauty. Two coats of Pure white paint on the outside renew its right to be designated the “White House.” The interior, during the last six months, has been thoroughly cleansed and almost entirely reornamented. Very little new furniture has been introduced, as much of the old is yet substantial, having been procured in the time of Monroe, and is not only valuable on that account, but is really very handsome, from its antique style. Much of this old furniture, however, has been revarnished, and the chairs have been cushioned and covered with rich crimson satin brocatel [sic], tufted and laid in folds on the backs, rendering a modern appearance. Upon entering the great East Room two prominent things strike the eye—the paper on the wall and the carpet on the floor. The first is a Parisian style of heavy velvet cloth paper, of crimson, garnet and gold. It gives a massive appearance to the room, and is quite rich. In the daytime it seems rather dark; but when the soft light of the great chandeliers illuminates the room it develops its full richness and harmonizes to a shade. The carpet is an ingenious piece of work, not because of its rich quality or exquisite design, but because of the fact that it is in one piece, and covers a floor measuring one hundred feet long and forty eight feet wide. There is nothing flashy or extravagant about its appearance. The admiration of the beholder is not suddenly excited by a view of the whole surface, so ingeniously and beautifully are the various figures and colors harmonized. It is like a constellation of stars, where the beauty of one star is lost in the combined grandeur of the whole. It is a very heavy Axminster, with three medallions gracefully arranged into one grand medallion. As we walk over
its velvet surface from center to sides, or from corner to corner, the most chaste and beautiful surprises of vases, wreaths and bouquets of flowers and fruit pieces excite our love of true art. The carpet, in its mechanical construction, as well as in its artistic design, is a wonder. It was made in Glasgow, Scotland, upon the only loom existing in the world capable of weaving one so large. Mr. W. H. Carryl, of Philadelphia, went to Europe, and, after examining various patterns in different cities, including Paris and London, proceeded to Glasgow and designed this. His mission was a success.
The next attractive features among the ornamental, in the East Room, are curtains and drapery at the eight windows. The inner curtains are of the richest white needle-wrought lace, made in Switzerland. Over these and suspended from massive gold gilt cornices, are French crimson brocatels, trimmed with heavy gold fringe and tassel work. The embrace, or curtain pin, at the side of each window, is of solid brass and covered in gold gilt. The design is a commingling of banners, arrows, swords, an anchor, chain, &c., interwoven behind the American shield, upon the front of which is a raised figure of an eagle. Opposite the great east window of the room is the door leading to the promenade. In order to harmonize the interior appearance of the great East Room, this door has been curtained with lace and crimson brocatel, trimmed with gold fringe and tassel, to match the window opposite. The eight mirrors in the East Room are the same that have been there for years.
Source: New York Herald, December 18, 1861, 1.
The President’s Levee—Brilliant Appearance of the Guests—
The Foreign Ministers Present and Absent—
Rejuvenation of the White House, Etc.
An unparalleled throng manifested their homage and affection for the late President, whose remains lay in state in the East Room of the Presidential Mansion. Although some eight hours were allowed for visitors to pass and gaze upon the familiar features of the dead, thousands were subjected to painful disappointment. Death had fastened into his frozen face all the character and idiosyncrasy of life. He had not changed one line of his grave, grotesque countenance, nor smoothed out a feature. The hue was rather bloodless and leaden; but he was always sallow. The dark eyebrows seemed abruptly arched. The mouth was shut, like that of one who had put his foot down firm, and so were the eyes, which looked as calm as slumber. The collar was short and turned over the stiff elastic cravat, and whatever energy or humor or tender gravity marked the living face it hardened into its pulseless outline. No corpse in the world was better prepared according to appearances. The white satin around it reflected sufficient light upon the face to show that death was really there; but there were sweet roses and early magnolias, and the balmiest of lilies strewn around, as if the flowers had begun to bloom even upon his coffin.
The body lay upon a catafalque in the centre of the room, which presented a sepulchral appearance. The irregularly and gracefully arched canopy of this structure, in its greatest height, was eleven feet, and was supported by four posts, some seven feet in height, and over which the roof or canopy projected at each end about one foot. Under this canopy, and upon a spacious dais or platform, eleven feet long, four feet wide, and three feet high, rested the coffin. Extending entirely around this dais was another platform, about two feet wide and eight inches high, and serving as a step upon which to stand in viewing the corpse. The distance between the posts supporting the canopy was sixteen feet in its length and ten feet in its width. The coffin laid with the head to the north and the feet to the south, and was six feet six inches in length, and one foot and a half across the shoulders. It was of mahogany, and lined with lead, covered with superb black broadcloth, and with four massive silver handles upon each side. In the spaces between the handles were ornamental figures, formed with silver cord, resembling the leaf of the shamrock, and in the centre of each a large silver star, and there was a
silver star upon each end of the coffin. There was a heavy bullion fringe extending entirely around the edge of the upper part of the coffin, and pendant bullion tassels upon silver cords fell gracefully from the fringe before the apex of each figure containing the star. A row of silver-headed tacks, some two inches from the edge, extended the whole length of the cover on each side. The large silver plate was in the centre of a shield formed with silver tacks, on which is the inscription
ABRAHAM LINCOLN, Sixteenth President of the United States.
Born July 12, 1809.
Died April 15, 1865.
This was encircled by a shield formed of silver tacks. The whole was really beautiful, and finished with exceedingly good taste and fine workmanship. The face-lid was hung with fine silver hinges in the form of stars. The inside of the lid was raised or cushioned with white satin, and the centre piece ornamented with black and white silk braid, fastened with stars at the corners. The pillow and the lower surface of the coffin were covered with white silk; the sides and upper surface with plaited satin. The corpse was dressed in the black suit in which the President was first inaugurated. The turned-down collar and the black cravat were adjusted precisely as they were wont to be seen in his life-time. The face and features looked quite natural, and much credit was due to the embalmer, Dr. Charles D. Brown.
The canopy of the catafalque was covered on the upper side with black alpaca, and on the inner side with white fluted satin. The black alpaca drapery of the canopy was festooned with sixteen rosettes. The heavy alpaca curtains of the catafalque, falling from the canopy to the floor, were looped back to the corner supports with bands of crape. The dais upon which the coffin rested was covered with rich black cloth. The lower surrounding step, or platform, was covered with black muslin. A magnificent wreath of intertwined laurel and cedar, decorated with camelias, entirely encircled the coffin, resting upon the dais. A smaller wreath, composed of cedar and laurel, with interwoven flowers, laid at the head of the coffin. Upon the
foot of the coffin was deposited a large, gracefully-formed anchor, exquisitely composed of sweet and beautiful flowers, wrought with evergreens.
The East Room was draped with a taste that left nothing to be desired. The chandeliers at each end of the room were entirely covered with black alpaca, and all the pilasters were covered from ceiling to floor with the same material. The eight grand mirrors were entirely covered, the frames with alpaca and the glass with white barege. The usual superb drapery and decorations of the windows were entirely covered, from cornice to the carpet, with black barege. The drapery of the spacious doors, opening into the grand entrance hall, closed for the occasion, was similar to that of the windows. The mantel-pieces supporting the mirrors were heavily draped with alpaca depending to the floor.
The immense concourse that thronged to this mournful and affecting scene entered the eastern gate, passed under the portico in the grand hall, thence through the Green Room into the East Room, approaching the foot of the coffin, and there, dividing into two columns, stepped upon the lower platform, passed along on either side, caught a passing view of the features of him they had so loved and revered, and then passed out through the northern door of the East Room, and from the entry through the window upon a temporary staircase and staging, and into the avenue through the western gateway. . . .
Funeral Services at the President’s House . . . All that remained of Abraham Lincoln, the 16th President of these United States, lay on the grand and gloomy catafalque, which was relieved, however, by choice flowers with which a kind Providence blesses the world. Around, the apartment was made sepulchral by the habiliments of woe. . . .
The East Room, the same in which Harrison and Taylor lay in state, was far more artistically prepared for the coming ceremonies. The plates of its four large mirrors were covered with white crape, while their frames were hidden by the falling folds of a black drapery, similar to that which covered the blood-red damascene and white lace curtains of the windows. The Venetian shutters being partly closed, the rich red of the walls stained the partially admitted light, already toned down by the heavy masses of black, and through the dark shadows of the catafalque the light seemed to struggle in dim religious rays, that stole rather than leaped back from the silver ornaments of the coffin and the shrouded surfaces of the polished mirrors. What added greatly to the awing effect of the room, was a series of seats or steps which were covered with black, and partitioned
off, as it were, with thin white lines, descending from the northern, eastern, and southern sides of the room, to about five feet of the base of the black temple of death placed in the centre of the room. Along the western side of these were placed fifteen chairs, covered with black, and ranged along the wall for the use of the members of the Press.
The series of seats or steps partitioned off by lines of white were reserved for the various groups expected, by a card being laid on each, with writing, stating the use for which it was intended.
The northwestern corner was reserved for the pall bearers; next, to the eastward, was the partition ticketed for the New York delegation; next came that of the Army and Navy, then that of the Judiciary, and behind these, officers of the Sanitary and Christian Commissions; next were stationed Governors of various States and Territories, Heads of Bureaus, Assistant Secretaries, then the Diplomatic Corps, beside which were the President and Cabinet, and alongside of these stood the Senators, beyond which were members of the House of Representatives, clergymen from all parts of the United States, and the city authorities. . . .
Mrs. Lincoln did not enter the East Room, being too ill from prostration and an incipient fever, brought on by the awful excitement and sorrow to which she had been subjected.
The two sons of Mr. Lincoln, Master Thaddeus and Captain Robert Lincoln, both attended; but it was easy to see that it required all the resolution the latter could summon to master the grief that agitated him.
All the representatives of foreign governments, ambassadors, secretaries, and attachés, were present, in full court costume, and their high-collared and heavy-gilt coats, their vests decorated with various orders, rendered them a glittering group in an assemblage dressed in sombre black.
There were in all about six hundred persons in the room. Of these six hundred hardly fifty but were known as leading men of the country, either in commerce, laws, ethics, literature, statesmanship, or in practical generalship on sanguinary fields. Diplomacy, arts, arms, science, all of to-day, all of living interest, a part of the breathing, throbbing age, were there; and as these men stood up, and the ambassadors leaned forth to scan the scene, no eye that dropped upon the stilled face in the coffin but was moistened.
Source: Benjamin Franklin Morris, comp., Memorial Record of the Nation’s Tribute to Abraham Lincoln (Washington, D.C.: W. H. and O. H. Morrison, 1865), 73–81. Lincoln’s birth date as reported in the inscription is incorrect. He was born February 12, 1809.
The author’s conjectural view of the East Room in mourning dress include a cross section of the room looking east (above). The north view (left) is the perspective from which the seated family and staff members would have seen the funeral. The northeast view (opposite) is the view of the room from the entrance door of the Green Room. The press seating is to the left.
Reflections of a Former Contract Butler
i was living in southern florida in the late 1970s when I happened upon Upstairs at the White House, a book by J. B. West, the White House chief usher. All of the Executive Mansion’s staff fall under the control of the Usher’s Office. That includes butlers, maids, chefs, housemen, plumbers, electricians, gardeners, florists, and others. I found the book fascinating but never dreamed that I would one day be a small part of that legacy of service to the White House that West depicted.
I came to Washington, D.C., in 1979 out of an interest in writing political humor. When I first arrived, I decided that I would at least need a parttime job immediately. During my college days, I had worked as a banquet waiter, so I applied and was hired for a part-time job with the Senate restaurant on Capitol Hill. I would sometimes go by the White House to and from work, so, recalling how much I was interested in J. B. West’s book, I applied for job there with the aid of my state senator’s staff. Due to the high security nature of the job, a background investigation was required. It took more than six months, but finally one Saturday morning I received a call from Eugene Allen, the head butler, asking me if I could work a dinner that following Monday. What a thrill!
My first night on the job was nerve wracking. I didn’t know what to expect or what they were going to expect from me. Eventually I learned that most White House functions are always over staffed, so all I had to do that evening was pour wine for anyone who needed a refill in the State Dining Room. At this point President Jimmy Carter had been defeated in his bid for reelection, so this was sort of a farewell dinner for his staff.
It was December, and, with all the holiday parties, the busiest time of year for White House functions. The party held on December 22, 1980, stands out in my mind because it was held outdoors. December in D.C. can bring just about anything, from snow to rain to freezing rain to bitter cold, but fortunately it was a beautiful sunny day. A skating rink was erected on the South Lawn, and former Olympic Gold Medalist Peggy Fleming came to perform. It was a two-part program—one in the afternoon and one in the evening. The butlers were provided with heavy green army peacoats to wear over our tuxedo pants. In the afternoon, my station was at the grill, so, with the heat from the grill and the warmth of the sun, I was quite comfortable. But nighttime was a totally different story. The sun
went down and the temperature dropped quickly. That night my job was to pour hot chocolate. They gave us some mittens to wear, but they were too cumbersome. My hands were freezing and I had to figure out a way to keep them warm, so when no one was looking I would pour hot chocolate over them! When the skating performance ended, I looked up and saw President and Mrs. Carter heading right for my station! I thought, “My gosh, I just started working here and now I have a chance to serve the president AND the first lady at the same time.” Mrs. Carter came up to me and requested some hot chocolate, so I grabbed a mug and placed it under the spigot. Then I pulled down handle, and nothing. The urn was completely empty!
Ronald Reagan took the Oath of Office as fortieth president of the United States on January 20, 1981, and on January 21 the president and first lady hosted their first official White House function. It was a huge reception on the State Floor for about eight hundred people. There were no stationary food or drink areas. All the hors d’oeuvres and drinks were passed. I was one of the first butlers out of the pantry to greet the incoming guests in the Red Room. The first three people I saw were Vince Scully, the voice of the Los Angeles Dodgers baseball team, Lou Rawls, and Ray Charles. Johnny Carson and Ed McMahon were there, along with Bob Hope, Frank Sinatra, Jimmy Stewart, and so many others. Eventually word came down that the president and first lady were about to make their first official appearance. Everyone queued up along the corridors. Then President and Mrs. Reagan came out a side door by the State Dining Room and proceeded down the corridor and into the East Room with all the guests in tow.
The most elaborate of all White House functions is, of course, the State Dinner. It was an honor for me to have been able to work so many of them. While it also meant long days (usually 9:00 a.m. to about midnight), I enjoyed every minute of it. The event started with tea service in the Blue Room following the opening ceremony on the South Lawn, followed by setting up the State Dining Room in the afternoon, then the welcoming reception for guests before dinner, then the serving of dinner, then coffee and liqueurs served prior to the entertainment in the East Room. When the guests left the East Room we would serve champagne, and then there would be dancing in the Entrance Hall to the sounds of the Marine Band. Finally, when the
One of the author’s first assignments as a contract butler was to serve hot chocolate to guests on a cold day in December 1980 during a South Lawn ice skating performance by Olympian Peggy Fleming. President and Mrs.
president and first lady left the premises, that was a cue to the guests to leave also.
There are several State Dinners that stand out in my mind. One time I had Frank Sinatra at my table. He made a request that, to my knowledge, had never been done before, and maybe has never been done since. He asked that the butlers be allowed to come down to the East Room and enjoy the entertainment. So there I was, sitting in the East Room of the White House and listening to two of the great entertainers of their era, Frank Sinatra and Perry Como! And getting paid for it!
Another time I had famed violinist Itzhak Perlman at my table. Normally at a State Dinner we would serve a white wine and a red wine, but on this particular night we served two white wines. At one point Perlman asked me if I knew the difference between the two. Unfortunately I didn’t, and I had to be honest. “I have no idea,” I replied. A while later one of the ladies at the table asked him what he was going to be performing that evening. I happened to be standing at the table at that moment, so he looked over at me and said, “Well, to paraphrase my friend here, I have no idea!”
One of the great privileges that I had as a butler was getting to work occasionally on the private Second Floor where the family lives. I enjoyed working there because everything was much less formal. Dinners were held in the President’s Dining Room, which could seat about thirty-two people. One dinner that stands out in my mind was for Helmut Kohl, the chancellor of Germany, and his wife. Several aspects of that evening made it special
to me. First of all, the president is always served by one of the full-time butlers (in Reagan’s case it was Johnny Johnson), but I guess Johnny wasn’t able to be there that evening, so the maître d’ asked me to serve the president’s table. That was quite an honor! What also made the night special was the entertainment. It was the late, great Marvin Hamlisch, one of the truly outstanding composers of our time. Imagine standing just outside of the Yellow Oval Room (a beautifully appointed reception room off of the Truman Balcony) and listening to Marvin Hamlisch playing “The Way We Were” on the shiny black Steinway piano. What a thrill!
The night, however, almost ended in disaster. We were to come into the Yellow Oval Room at the conclusion of the performance and serve champagne. I was the first butler in with a tray of four champagne glasses (not the flutes but the smaller fruit cup–type glasses), and I was to serve President and Mrs. Reagan and Chancellor Kohl and his wife. Normally when we serve drinks we serve standing up, so holding the tray upright in a standing position is not a problem. But in this case the two couples were sitting on the sofa, so I had to bend down to serve them. I was unused to this, so as I bent down, the glasses started to slide off the tray! Fortunately I was able to upright the tray before any damage had been done, but imagine how mortifying it would have been if I had spilled that champagne. Even today, when I see those fruit cup–type glasses without any fruit in them I break out in a sweat!
Maybe the best part of the job was the friendships
that I formed with the people I worked with. Time does not permit me to talk about them all so I would like to focus on the two maître d’s that I worked under. The first was John Ficklin, who started his career as a pantry boy at the White House in 1939, when Franklin Roosevelt was in office. John’s brother Charles was already a butler at that time, and there has been a legacy of Ficklins in service to the White House ever since. John retired in 1983. I had the privilege of getting to work with him on a possible book about his experiences and was able to see his enormous collection of memorabilia—hundreds of photos and letters he had collected over his lengthy career. I greatly enjoyed listening to the stories he had to tell about past presidencies, but unfortunately the book never got off the ground. John died about three months later. One of John’s sons eventually became a special assistant to the president for national security, but the fascinating part of this story was that John’s father had once been enslaved. So here you had a man born into slavery who had two sons (Charles had become maître d’ during the Eisenhower administration)
serve as White House maître d’ and a grandson serve as special assistant to the president.
John’s successor was Eugene Allen. The 2013 movie The Butler was based on Gene Allen’s life (very loosely based). Gene was one of the nicest people that I have ever met. I never once saw him get upset about anything. He was as even-keeled as a person can be and remains an inspiration to me to this day.
I attended an exhibition one day at the Renwick Gallery (across the street from the White House), and afterward I went into the gift shop and bought a DVD entitled White House Workers. During one segment Henry Haller was interviewed. He was the head chef when I was there (he started his career under President Lyndon Johnson). Henry said something during the interview that made me laugh. He said that sometimes he would dream that he was back working at the White House and because it was such a wonderful experience, when he woke up, he’d be so disappointed that it was just a dream! That happens to me even to this day. I’m back working with the people with whom I had
forged such great friendships, in the atmosphere of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, and then I wake up.
Because that’s what it was—a dream job. Imagine going to your place of employment and never knowing who in the world might be there. That’s what it was like. I had a chance to talk about my all-time favorite sitcom, All in the Family, with one of its stars, Sally Struthers, who played the part of Gloria. I had a chance to talk about comedy writing one time with the wonderful Carl Reiner. I had a chance to hear Carol Burnett do her Tarzan yell, which echoed all the way from the East Room into the State Dining Room! I had a chance to hear Benny Goodman play the clarinet, and to hear Eubie Blake play the piano in the East Room.
It was indeed a dream job, and I would like to conclude with one last thought. Anyone who has ever worked in the Executive Mansion will agree with me. You eventually leave the White House, but it never leaves you.
First Daughter Susan Ford Bales Shares the Stories Behind the Design of the 2023 Official White House Christmas Ornament
the white house is a big building, with dozens of historic rooms, secret bunkers, grand hallways, and—yes—a few ghosts! It’s a building where vitally important work is carried out twenty-four hours a day, every single day. And for a fortunate few of us, the White House is more than just a big and busy building—much more. It is the special place I’m always proud to call—home
Earlier this year, the White House Historical Association unveiled its 2023 White House Christmas Ornament honoring my father, President Gerald R. Ford. The ornament, symbolically and
artistically, depicts important aspects of Dad’s presidency and historical legacy. The 2023 ornament is, in a word, perfect! Its detailed designs, color arrays, and representations of the handcrafted ornaments Mom and I selected for our White House Christmas trees—they are all lovely. And, of course, Dad would be delighted with the depictions of our golden retriever, Liberty; Troop 15 of Boy Scout Jerry Ford (America’s only Eagle Scout president); and, of course, the remembrance of America’s magnificent 1976 Bicentennial.
PREVIOUS SPREAD
President Gerald R. Ford is joined by his daughter, Susan, and dog, Liberty, on the South Lawn, 1974.
The 2023 Official White House Christmas
Ornament (page 71) honors the legacy of President Gerald R. Ford. Among the motifs that represent his life and presidency are the handmade ornaments selected by Susan and First Lady Betty Ford to decorate the White House Christmas trees.
OPPOSITE
Mrs. Ford poses with a cornhusk angel (top) and a yarn doll (below left), two of more than three thousand handcrafted ornaments that decorated the White House Christmas tree in 1975. In 1976 she is seen (below right) holding two doves made for the tree.
LEFT
President Ford is surprised by Susan peering through the Oval Office window, 1974.
The reverse of the 2023 ornament wreath is embellished with symbols of Ford’s life and presidency, including his Eagle Scout award (opposite left, top and bottom); his golden retriever, Liberty, a devoted companion at the White House (below opposite and below); and the 1976 Bicentennial celebrations (right).
Two particular parts of the ornament are especially meaningful to me: a football embellished with Dad’s University of Michigan jersey number 48; and the ornament’s tribute to his namesake aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78).
Dad was an exceptional athlete, a lifetime swimmer, an avid golfer, and an expert skier. At the University of Michigan, he was captain of the football team. In 1934, Dad and the Wolverines were scheduled to host Georgia Tech at the “Big House” in Ann Arbor. Early that week, Georgia Tech told Michigan the team would not take the field unless the Wolverines agreed to bench Willis Ward, their star halfback and Dad’s friend and roommate for away games. Why? The answer was (and still is today) jarring: Willis Ward was Black. The request was despicable, but Georgia Tech would not budge. Either Willis Ward would sit out the game, or Georgia Tech would not take the field. And then remarkably and equally jolting, Michigan agreed
to the demand and benched Willis.1
Dad heard the news. As Willis’s friend and roommate on the road, Dad’s reaction was immediate. He could see no alternative other than to quit the team. Willis heard of Dad’s intentions and went to talk to him. Willis urged his friend Jerry to not quit and instead to lead the team against Georgia Tech. Eventually, Dad agreed to play. In a fitting coda, Michigan went on that weekend to beat Georgia Tech.
Teammates Jerry and Willis remained lifelong friends. And so it was, four decades later, that Judge Willis Ward and President Jerry Ford reunited in the Oval Office to reminisce and celebrate their special friendship.2 My sincere hope is that when Americans view the number 48 on this year’s White House Ornament, they’ll pause and reflect upon the bonds of friendship between Jerry Ford and Willis Ward.
LEFT
Gerald Ford played center for the University of Michigan Wolverines. He is seen here striking a ferocious pose in 1934.
OPPOSITE
The lifelong friendship of Gerald Ford and Willis Ward began when they were teammates for the Wolverines. They are seen in 1934 (top) in the third row (wearing numbers 48 and 61). In 1976, Willis Ward visited his old friend Gerald Ford in the Oval Office (bottom right). Ward was a longtime probate judge for the County of Wayne, Michigan (bottom left).
The ornament also highlights America’s newest aircraft carrier, USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78), the most powerful ship ever built.3 As I am CVN 78’s ship sponsor, the ornament’s recognition of the ship is important to me. And as I am the proud daughter of CVN 78’s namesake, it speaks even more deeply to me, knowing how much the ornament’s tribute to that mighty ship and its crew would have meant to Dad. In November 2006, Dad was told of plans for the navy’s upcoming Naming Ceremony to officially name CVN 78 the Gerald R. Ford. He promptly wrote a letter expressing how profoundly this naming meant to him. It was a letter that fate, just a month later, poignantly rendered to be Dad’s last. Dad wrote:
In my life, I’ve received countless honors. But none was greater than the opportunity to wear the uniform of Lieutenant Commander in the United States Navy. On an aircraft carrier in the South Pacific during World War II, I learned to respect, and to rely on, my comrades as if my life depended on them—because often
During World War II, Gerald Ford served in the navy from 1942 to 1946, rising from ensign to lieutenant commander, 1944.
BOTTOM
The U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) steams the Atlantic Ocean during a simulated straits transit with the Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group in the Atlantic Ocean, October 2022.
it did. As a World War II veteran, I yield to no one in my admiration for the heroes of Omaha Beach and Iwo Jima. At the same time, I take enormous inspiration from their grandsons and granddaughters who are writing heroic new chapters around the globe.
Thus, it is a source of indescribable pride and humility to know that an aircraft carrier bearing my name may be permanently associated with the valor and patriotism of the men and women of the United States Navy.4
Thus it was altogether fitting that Dad’s heartfelt words be inscribed onto the statue of Lieutenant Commander Jerry Ford (c. 1944) that is now a permanent part of the Ford’s ceremonial quarterdeck.5
Thank you to the White House Historical Association for the 2023 White House Ornament and for bringing joy to my heart and, yes, tears of pride to my cheeks. Thank you for honoring our
thirty-eighth president and his beloved wife, Betty, and the nation they faithfully served with integrity and grace. And, most of all, today and in my every tomorrow, my boundless gratitude goes out to the American people for the trust they placed in Dad and upon which I am fondly privileged to call 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue—home
1. The story of Gerald Ford and Willis Ward was presented in the stage play Victors of Character and in the documentary film Black and Blue
2. Daily Diary of President Gerald R. Ford, August 9, 1976, online at the Gerald R. Ford Library and Museum website, www. fordlibrarymuseum.gov. Willis F. Ward was probate judge for the Probate Court of the County of Wayne, Michigan.
3. For the ceremony, see the C-SPAN video USS Gerald R. Ford Naming, January 16, 2007, www.c-span.org.
4. Gerald R. Ford to Greg Willard, November 6, 2006, reprinted in Gerald R. Ford, Late a President of the United States: Memorial Tributes Delivered in Congress, comp. Joint Committee on Printing (Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 2007), cxxxiii–cxxxiv.
5. “Statue of Lieutenant Commander Gerald R. Ford,” Gerald R. Ford Foundation Newsletter, May 2016, 1.
JOHN CHULDENKO
THE WHAT? that’s typically the response I get when I tell people there is a collection of vinyl records at the White House, and it’s almost always accompanied by an incredulous look. But it’s true, and I am one of the only people to have ever laid eyes on it.
The White House Record Library originated as a way for the president of the United States and the first family, in their most private, personal moments, to connect with the American people through music. It was intended to serve as a living repository that would evolve and grow as our country changed and our culture shifted, a record collection as diverse as the American people themselves, installed in the White House Residence.
I never lived there, but my uncles did. More than thirty years ago, my mother married President Jimmy Carter’s eldest son, Jack. And along with that marriage came two new siblings, a handful of aunts, uncles, and cousins, and an explosion of incredibly unique opportunities, many taking place on family vacations.
Several years ago, on one of those family vacations, I was talking with my uncle Jeff who told me about a party he had one night. His parents (my grandparents President and Mrs. Carter) were hosting a dinner downstairs at the White House. Jeff and his friends had decided they’d prefer a more relaxed setting—the glass Solarium upstairs
that overlooks the Washington Monument. It’s often used as a place where the first family can relax and unwind, and that’s exactly what Jeff and his friends were doing—hanging out, having fun, and, like most young people, blaring music, specifically the Rolling Stones’ Goats Head Soup. At full volume. My uncle heard neither the door open nor the entrance of his mom, the first lady, and Joan Mondale, the wife of the vice president. Their arrival coincided precisely with one of Mick Jagger’s less “family friendly” choruses, a reprise of vociferated profanity. Over and over.
As Uncle Jeff put it, “Mom and Mrs. Mondale did not stay and hang out.”
After Jeff finished his Stones story, and as the laughter subsided, I asked Jeff and my Uncle Chip where they got the records they listened to upstairs. He said that if you wanted a record right away, someone would get it for you, but there was also a collection of LPs up there.
Wait. A What?
And that’s where this whole adventure started.
In the early days of the Nixon administration, the Recording Industry Association of America, learning of a book library donated to the White House by the American Booksellers Association, offered to provide the White House with a collection of recorded works—music and spoken word.
above
When John Chuldenko’s uncles Chip and Jeff Carter shared their memories of listening to White House record albums, he began a quest to locate the collection. Chuldenko is seen here (standing far right) with the Carter family during a visit to the Dolphin Research Center, 2017.
above
This collection, along with a turntable and stereo system, would be provided as an official gift to the White House.
Mrs. Nixon approved a special commission to select the recordings. Each distinguished committee member was chosen for his or her knowledge of a specific genre—Classical, Jazz, Country Folk and Gospel, Spoken Word, and a Popular music genre. This category included rock and roll and was curated by legendary composer and lyricist Johnny Mercer.
The commission began work in the spring of 1970, deliberating among themselves and consulting with advisers of their choosing. While each curator selected the records in his or her assigned genre, final selections were brought to the full commission for approval. Their focus was to curate a comprehensive collection representative of the American cultural tastes over the years. While most of the selections were from American record labels, and most of the performers were American, exceptions were made for foreign performers who significantly impacted American culture.
Commission members limited the collection to two thousand LPs, a number they felt could be stored upstairs in the Private Quarters of the White House, where it could be easily accessed and enjoyed by the first family. The records themselves were sourced and collected in vinyl folders, each color-coded according to genre and embossed with the Presidential Seal. Below the seal is gold embossing that reads, “The White House Record Library.” If I haven’t made it clear earlier, it’s the coolest record collection ever.
It was the intention of the commission that the record library be updated periodically so that it would continue to reflect the changing tastes of the American people. And it was. Fast forward to 1979.
It’s important to pay special attention to the popular selections within the record library, not only because they may, by a very general definition, most accurately reflect the tastes of the American people at the time but also because it was these selections that played a large part in the decision to convene a new commission and curate Volume Two of the White House Record Library. In his introduction to the Popular music category in Volume One, Johnny Mercer wrote this:
Well, out of all the songs since records have come into being, we have tried to pick a representative cross-section of the songs and singers that America loved best, the favorites of their own eras—“the legends in their own time.”
You’ll find many of your favorites in here and you’ll dispute some of the choices, no doubt. But compared to overall output, they shine like stars in the night, like jewels in the red clay.1
This prescient introduction acknowledges that there will likely be omissions and inclusions some may disagree with; after all, that’s the beauty of music. Notably absent from Volume One is Stevie Wonder and Jimi Hendrix. The Beatles are represented only by Meet the Beatles and Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. I mention these omissions only to illuminate the fact that curating such a collection is no easy task, and it was the omissions that eventually led to Volume Two of the White House Record Library and one of the most comprehensive collections of its time.
In 1979, when a new commission was formed to update the collection, it was chaired by legendary record producer John Hammond—probably
First Lady Pat Nixon, seen above meeting with original members of the Commission for the White House Record Library, explained the purpose and the significance of the collection in her introduction to the first volume of the White House Record Library. Published by the White House Historical Association in 1973, the book listed the two thousand albums in the collection. A second volume followed in 1979.
known best for discovering Aretha Franklin, Bob Dylan, and Bruce Springsteen. The Classical selections in Volume Two were chosen by David Hall; Ed Bland curated the Rhythm-and-Blues, Blues, and Black Gospel selections, while the Country, Folk, and White Gospel category was handled by Frances Preston. John Lewis of the Modern Jazz Quartet selected the Jazz albums, and the Spoken Word albums were selected by Paul Kresh. The categories of Popular music and Latin and Contemporary selections fell to a young Bob Blumenthal, then contributing editor of the Boston Phoenix and contributor to Rolling Stone, along with a team of trusted advisers.
Energized by the fact that my grandfather is a true music lover, with tastes ranging from Mozart to Willie Nelson, Hammond and his team set to work on expanding the collection. Blumenthal and his advisers took the opportunity to fill in several gaps in the Popular category. This was rock and roll, after all, and Blumenthal felt liberated to select works that at first might seem controversial for such a prestigious library. He wrote in his introduction to the Popular music selections:
If the music at times seems crude, brash, and preoccupied with the unspeakable and intimate, it is also bold, assured, self-confident, vulnerable, visionary—a peculiarly American synthesis which has been heard and is now created internationally.2
The 1979 update included calls to revolution, biting satire, songs of redemption, and punk rock anthems. This, to coin a phrase, was not your forefather’s record collection.
I’ve spoken at length with Bob Blumenthal about his involvement in the White House Record Library, and he found the opportunity to curate a record library for the president and first family thrilling. “I looked at the first family as representative of America. That I was picking a record library for America,” Bob recalls. “There was a notion that maybe the kids would introduce their parents to some music or the parents would overhear the kids playing some music. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if a president found any musician in any style because the recording was in the White House Record Library? That’s the impact I want to have.”
Once the selections were finalized, the plan was to present the updated Record Library to the
president and first lady at the White House. But after the outcome of the 1980 election, the clock was ticking, and the push was on to make the presentation before President Carter left office. The commission arranged to meet and present the records at a small ceremony on January 13, 1981, a week before Ronald Reagan was to be inaugurated. “I remember bleachers were being set up on Pennsylvania Avenue and there were moving vans outside the White House when we arrived because things were being packed up and moved,” Bob recalls. Greetings were exchanged, and photos were taken, but the records themselves weren’t actually there. Neither Bob nor anyone else, for that matter, had ever seen these albums. And it would stay that way for almost thirty years.
After that night with my uncle, I couldn’t get the idea of an official White House Record Library out of my head. I started researching. Surely something as monumental as a record collection compiled for the president of the United States would be documented, publicized, a matter of common cultural knowledge. It was not. There was next to nothing about it at all. Internet searches revealed only the two reference catalogs published by the White House Historical Association (publishers of the title you hold in your hands), a mention or two in Billboard Magazine, and an article by David Browne featured in a 2009 issue of Rolling Stone magazine. But that was enough. That was a start. All I needed was a name, a place to begin. So I contacted my grandparents’ office to see if there was any info on the collection at the Carter Presidential Library in Atlanta.
I got one number. Keith Schuler, an archivist at the Carter Center, said he would reach out to the White House on my behalf and see what he could find. I thought that surely after thirty years no one would remember a bunch of dusty vinyl records once stored in the Residence. But a few days later, Keith e-mailed back with the subject line “Success!” At the time, the curator of the White House was Bill Allman, and on his staff was Monica McKiernan, who agreed to take my call.
Taking a deep breath and stifling my mile-aminute excitement, I explained the collection to Monica. While the Office of the Curator had no direct knowledge of the collection, Monica said she’d get back to me. Again, this is where I thought my journey would come to an end. But it didn’t. The gods of vinyl were smiling on me, and a few days
A small sampling of the titles included in the White House Record Library reflects the variety of albums available to the author’s uncles Chip and Jeff Carter. Included in the collection are classical, popular, musicals, folk, country, gospel, jazz, spoken word, humor, and children’s recordings.
later she e-mailed me back.
Dear John,
Yes, we do have a record collection stored at a secure off-site facility. Because it is secure, I cannot pass along the exact location of where the records are being stored.
This was, to this day, probably the coolest e-mail I’ve ever received. Full of words like “secure off-site facility” and complete with an “Executive Office of the President” e-mail address. “Secure, off-site facility”: I read it again and again like Ralphie in A Christmas Story. Images of the last scene in Raiders of the Lost Ark flooded my mind. A lonely worker in a cavernous warehouse pushing a couple thousand records through crates of mysterious classified artifacts. Surely these albums were kept between the UFO wreckage and the Holy Grail. The collection was, in fact, real, and I knew that with a little luck, and a tremendous amount of tenacity, the records were accessible.
Trying to contain my excitement, I replied to Monica. Obviously, they wouldn’t allow me into the secure facility, but she surprisingly suggested that the entire collection could be moved back into the White House so I could have a look. “Would that
work for you?” she asked. Yes. Yes, that will work.
After months of approvals, coordination, cross-country flights, and several roadblocks, I eventually made it to the White House with Bob Blumenthal, his adviser Kit Rachlis, and Rolling Stone writer David Browne in tow. Entering the Movie Theater on the Ground Floor, I came face to face with the records I’d been tracking down for more than a year. There they were, waiting for us, stacked high in cardboard boxes next to the theater screen. Bob, Kit, David, and I looked at each other. This was the actual White House Record Library, and, with Volume Two presented just as my grandparents were leaving the White House, we were the first, the only people to see it, to touch it, to play it! (Yes, I did pack a turntable and small speaker system.)
Like true music lovers, we immediately started digging through the boxes. We called out to one another: “I found The Who!,” “Here’s Joni Mitchell!” We searched for our favorites, and I opened one of the light blue binders embossed with the Presidential Seal to find Elvis Costello’s My Aim Is True. Further digging produced Decade (Neil Young), Blonde on Blonde (Bob Dylan), and The Clash (The Clash) (with the bonus white label 7-inch of “Gates of the West” and “Groovy Times”
In 2011, the staff of the White House Office of the Curator arranged for the White House Record Library to be moved from off-site storage to the White House Movie Theater for John Chuldenko to examine. When he arrived, prepared with a turntable and speaker system, stacks of boxes were waiting. He and his companions stayed for several hours listening to album, taking photographs, and absorbing the scope of the historic collection.
Among the albums examined by Chuldenko were Elton John’s Honky Château and Bob Dylan’s Blood on the Tracks
still inside).
We laid out album after album and debated what we’d play first. Bob slid out the pristine copy of Van Morrison’s Astral Weeks from its jacket. For those unfamiliar, legendary rock writer Lester Bangs called it a “mystical document,” writing that it “was proof that there was something left to express artistically besides nihilism and destruction.” Springsteen said it made him “trust in beauty” and that it gave him a “sense of the divine.”3 So yeah, Astral Weeks? Go for it, Bob.
Bob switched on the turntable, raised the stylus, and lowered it onto the gleaming surface of the dead wax on the edge of the record: side one, track one. “Astral Weeks.” I still get goosebumps. The tempo perfectly suited for the occasion, Richard Davis’s bass line filling the room, and those first few lines:
To lay me down, in silence easy, to be born again, to be born again.
Packed into anonymous cardboard boxes by government employees and locked away in the secure storage facility, these records that had lain dormant for thirty years were finally unearthed. Born again. Born again indeed.
We stayed for a few hours, playing our favorites while Bob and Kit reminisced about the selections they had made more than thirty years ago. Then Monica popped back in. “Are you almost finished?” she asked. I paused, taking in that question. This was the resurrection of a national musical treasure. Was I finished? Do I have to be? Admittedly, we could have hung out playing records all night long (or at least until President Barack Obama would storm downstairs and ask us to keep it down). “Yes,” I said reluctantly. Monica left the theater, and we started to refile the records we had strewn about the room. Minutes later, a team of overalled gentlemen wheeled dollies into the theater, and, working with alacrity, they loaded up box after box, carrying them back to the secure storage facility. As I watched them go, I couldn’t help but think that these records were headed back to obscurity. There had to be something I could do.
Then I had an idea, a monumental idea. What if there was a Volume Three? Over the last forty years music and America itself have undergone dramatic cultural changes. With the needle lifted on the
collection in 1980, none of the subsequent musical genres are represented—nothing after 1980. There’s no rap or hip-hop, no electronic music, no metal or Madonna. No trap or trance, no emo or Eno. The entire format of the compact disk came and went while the Library lay dormant.
With the country as divided as it is, amid protests, pandemic, the constant doom scroll of social posts, it seems everyone has an opinion on everything—especially music. While admittedly, a record collection alone will not solve our problems, maybe a national conversation about the greatest music of the last forty years could provide some sort of common ground, something we might be able to agree upon. Maybe the White House Record Library could play once more.
This article is adapted from the author’s upcoming book titled White House Wax. The author spoke with Bob Blumenthal in December 2011 and on numerous occasions.
1. Johnny Mercer, introduction to Popular music category, The White House Record Library, Volume One (Washington, D.C.: White House Historical Association, 1973), 51–52.
2. Bob Blumenthal, introduction to Popular music category, The White House Record Library, Volume Two (Washington, D.C.: White House Historical Association, 1979).
3. Both quotations are widely available. They appear in print in Jon Michaud, “The Miracle of Van Morrison’s ‘Astral Weeks,’” New Yorker, March 7, 2018, and Travis M. Andrews, “The Rage of Van Morrison and the Battle Behind His Masterpiece, ‘Astral Weeks,’” Washington Post, November 30, 2018.
President William Howard Taft’s
“The president’s trip from Washington to Manassas would have thrilled the heart of a moving picture man,” wrote the Alexandria Gazette on July 22, 1911. “He left a trail of stranded automobiles in his wake, made perilous voyages across streams out of their banks, stopped on his way to rescue a party of marooned senators—demanding votes for reciprocity as a reward—plowed his way through rainstorms and mud, and finally whizzed into Manassas at sundown.”1
president william howard taft’s “wild ride” began the afternoon of July 21, 1911, the day before the Alexandria Gazette ’s dramatic report. A fifteen minute flight on Marine One today, for Taft the 30-mile journey from Washington, D.C., to Manassas, Virginia, where he was to be the featured speaker at a major gathering of Civil War veterans, was taken by automobile. Neither Taft nor those traveling with him had any notion of the strange odyssey that awaited them.
The Manassas National Jubilee of Peace brought some five hundred old soldiers of the Union and the Confederacy together from July 16 to July 21, 1911, to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of the Civil War’s first major land conflict, known as the First Battle of Bull Run in the North and the First Battle of Manassas in the South. The Peace Jubilee was the brainchild of two of the town’s leading citizens: former Confederate officer Edmund Berkeley and Union veteran George Carr Round. Thousands of spectators were on hand to witness not only the reunion of former foes but also to hear the president’s remarks. Reflecting the Peace Jubilee’s theme of reconciliation, the 53-year-old Taft, scion of an Ohio family that had been abolitionist and pro-Union, would be introduced by Virginia Governor William Hodges Mann, just shy of his 68th birthday and destined to be the last Confederate veteran to serve as the Commonwealth of Virginia’s chief executive.2
For Taft, the Peace Jubilee was more than a
commemorative occasion; it was also a chance to get out of Washington, D.C., for a while. During his two years in office, Taft had experienced the expected highs and lows of presidential politics. He also labored somewhat in the shadow of his predecessor, Theodore Roosevelt, with whom he had shared Progressive values and a close personal friendship. Taft’s low-key, collegial negotiations with Congress over issues such as foreign policy and protective tariffs were in marked contrast to Roosevelt’s brash, pugnacious approach to governing. Indications of a growing political rift between the two men had serious implications for the approaching 1912 election. The president was also concerned for the fragile health of his wife, Helen Herron Taft. The first lady had suffered a severe stroke in May 1909 and a milder one in May 1911.3
An excursion to the Virginia countryside was viewed as a therapeutic diversion for the president by his military aide and multitalented “fixer,” U.S. Army Major Archibald Willingham DeGraffenreid Clarendon (“Archie”) Butt. In a letter written to his sister, Butt described the prospect of navigating the Old Dominion’s problematic roads in a positive light: “Tomorrow we are going to motor to Manassas and while it will be rough . . . it will take his mind off Congress and his troubles and give him corduroy roads and bumps to think about instead of Schedule K and what other pieces of deviltry La Follette is planning.”4
Traveling to Manassas by automobile rather
In 1909, the White House horse stables were converted to house President William Howard Taft’s new fleet of White House automobiles. Seen on the right is the White steamer in which the president rode to the Manassas Peace Jubilee in 1911. Also shown are a 1908 Baker electric, two 1908 Pierce-Arrow Vandelettes, and two Secret Service motorcycles.
Artist John Hutton imagines the scene as President Taft passes a stranded car full of senators while crossing a flooded road in the Virginia countryside en route to an appearance in Manassas.
than by horse-drawn carriage or railroad car was an easy decision for William Howard Taft. He was an enthusiastic proponent of automobiles as both a modern mode of transportation and an increasingly important component of American industry. He also viewed the development of affordable motorcars as a democratic virtue. In a 1911 speech he stated: “How rapidly we adapt ourselves to the absolute necessity of those improvements of which we knew and imagined nothing fifty years ago! And I am not sure but that of all of them the automobile coming in as a toy of the wealthier classes is going to prove the most useful of them all to all classes, rich and poor.”5 Taft wanted to modernize presidential transportation by converting the White House stable into a garage and acquiring a fleet of appropriate automobiles. His wish was granted by an appropriation of $12,000 passed by Congress on February 6, 1909. The debate that preceded this measure was characterized by familiar political partisanship but also reflected trepidation—even outright hostility—about the demise of genuine horsepower in favor of the automotive version. By March 3, 1909, the day before Taft’s Inauguration, four cars representing the diverse technologies then in vogue had been purchased for presidential use: two gasoline-powered Pierce-Arrows (a suburban limousine and a smaller Landaulet for use by the first lady); a Baker Electric Victoria (typically driven by Mrs. Taft herself); and a seven-passenger
White Motor Company Model M steam touring car.6 White steamers were Taft’s favorite brand of motorcar. The two-cylinder, 40-horsepower Model M was capable of 60 miles per hour on hard, level highways, but was also sturdy enough to navigate roads of poorer quality in adverse weather conditions. The latter capability proved to be a significant advantage during the trip across Virginia’s notoriously abysmal roads.7
Drivers traversing the commonwealth in the early twentieth century often encountered inadequate engineering and poor maintenance. Five residents of New York who drove through the state six years after Taft’s excursion wrote a letter of complaint to Governor Henry Carter Stuart on June 11, 1917. It was later reported that “They found the national highway between Washington and Fredericksburg [present day U.S. Route 1] so bad that on the return trip they had to take the ferry from Norfolk to Washington.”8
The president’s motorcade of four vehicles set out for Manassas from the White House at about 12:30 p.m. on July 21, 1911, under clear skies. Taft rode in the back seat of the White steamer, accompanied by his private secretary, Charles Dewey Hilles, Archie Butt, and two of Virginia’s federal legislators, Senator Thomas Staples Martin and Representative Charles Creighton Carlin. White House chauffeur James Rundle was behind the wheel. The next car carried three Secret Service
Taft’s drive to the Manassas Peace Jubilee included a stop in Falls Church, Virginia. A historic marker at the intersection of U.S. 29 and East Jefferson Street commemorates his visit to the city with an image and a transcription of his remarks to the residents who gathered to greet him.
agents and was followed by another bearing other staff members, including stenographer Wendell W. Mischler and Gus J. Karger, a veteran Cincinnati Times-Star reporter who served as Taft’s publicist.9 The fourth car held five newspaper reporters who covered the White House beat.10
The weather was fine for about a half-hour, until the caravan crossed the Potomac River into Virginia:
At 1 o’clock the distinguished tourists turned the crest of Arlington Heights and just beyond, a mile or so, about the most threatening storm anybody in the crowd had ever seen hove in view. There was a quick order to detrain. And the President, Secretary Hilles, and their guests detrained. Hoods were put up, storm shields adjusted and by the time the downpour came the fast Presidential car dashed ahead once more.
This was all very merry and fine—for a time. The storm was practically outside the car, the car still moved, so why worry? But this joy could not last. It was too good to be true.11
Falls Church, Virginia, was the first stop. Here the president gave a speech praising Carlin to some three hundred of his constituents. As the caravan returned to the road, the reporters’ car broke down; a replacement was quickly hired while the other three vehicles continued to Fairfax City. The rain had stopped, but the skies darkened again as they approached the county courthouse. Taking advantage of the White steamer’s superior speed, chauffeur Rundle delivered Taft to the building just in time for the president to dash inside as the storm broke; the occupants of the other cars were drenched.12
After greeting the mayor of Fairfax and admiring George Washington’s will on file in the courthouse archives, Taft went to the home of Virginia State Senator Richard Ewell Thornton for a sumptuous lunch that Archie Butt recalled as “overflowing with fried chicken . . . Virginia ham [and] real corn bread hot and crisp.”13 Four U.S. senators headed to Manassas were also in Fairfax: Democrat Augustus Octavius Bacon of Georgia, a Confederate veteran who fought at First Manassas; Republican Knute Nelson of Minnesota, who served in the Union Army (though not at Manassas); Lee Slater Overman, Democrat of North Carolina; and Republican
Frank Bosworth Brandegee of Connecticut. U.S. Solicitor General Frederick William Lehmann was also in the party. The president invited the dignitaries, who were riding in Brandegee’s large gasengine car, to join his still-merry band.14
The augmented cavalcade resumed its progress southwest on the Warrenton Pike (present-day U.S. Route 29). While the storm had passed, it had turned the dirt road into a quagmire. “It was the worst stretch of road the President’s big steamer had ever encountered,” noted the Washington Evening Star, “and for once the chauffeur was compelled to travel at a most careful rate of speed.” The article further noted that the rain had transformed the normally placid rural creeks into formidable obstacles:
Five miles from Fairfax Court House, on the pike, is a peaceful little stream known as Willow Spring Branch. It is ordinarily three or four feet wide. Then it was sixty feet and roaring with its torrent of muddy water. Maj. Butt looked it over and concluded that it should be investigated. Pulling off his riding boots, he waded across, finding the depth to be above his waist.15
A reporter for the Washington Herald described what happened next:
The President’s car halted. Senator Brandegee and his colleagues, however, disdaining the discretion of the Executive, rushed down the hill and into the stream. They were not a third of the way across before their magneto was flooded and they were hopelessly stranded, with the torrent swishing over the floor of their machine. The chauffeur of the President’s automobile, which is a steamer, backed to the top of the hill, where he approached the creek, put out his fire, and, coasting down the steep incline, went flying through the ford, throwing the water over the disgruntled Senators in their stranded car.16
Taft’s White steamer and two other cars made it across the swollen stream. The newspapermen observed that the president could not help taunting the discomforted senators as he passed them:
“How do you do, senators?” (Washington Post);
“That’s what you get for driving a ‘wooden nutmeg’ car!” (Washington Herald); “Your trouble, Knute, is that you are a standpatter.” (Washington Evening
Star). The latter comment, directed at Senator Nelson, referenced opposition in Congress to a bill supported by Taft for trade reciprocity with Canada that was scheduled for a Senate vote the next day. Progressive Republican insurgents led by Wisconsin Senator Robert La Follette sought to stop the measure through an unlikely alliance with conservative Democrats (“Standpatters”). Though the Republican Nelson was one of the insurgents, Taft playfully hurled the “Standpatter” epithet at him.17
Having had his fun, the president ordered his staff members to give up the seats in their car to the senators. The White steamer had room for one more, and Archie Butt described how Taft filled the vacancy:
“It is hard to choose, but I feel that I must save old Nelson’s vote to the insurgents to-morrow, so we will just take him in.”
Nelson hesitated, but the President added:
“This is not a bribe, old man. La Follette will need your vote more than I do, so bury your
conscience
The New York Times noted that Nelson “was jammed in on the back seat between the president and Senator Martin, who is no sylph.” Meanwhile, Archie Butt dried his socks on the White’s windshield as the drive continued.19
A few miles later, at the ford over Little Rocky Run, the Secret Service car was swamped while trying to cross, then abandoned. The other cars backtracked from the impassable ford over Little Rocky Run to cross on a bridge on another road. Butt and Carlin disembarked several times to lead frightened carriage horses out of the automobiles’ path (a requirement under Virginia law that Taft declared must be respected). “Representative Carlin . . . alternated with the major in calming horses and trying to look happy,” wrote the Richmond TimesDispatch. 20 Nearing Manassas (where no rain had fallen), they drove through choking clouds of dust. The two surviving cars arrived at the Prince William County Courthouse in Manassas at 5:45 p.m., about two hours late, to cheers and applause from the assembled throng.21
A panoramic photograph captures President Taft standing with Civil War veteran and Virginia Governor William Hodges Mann. Taft’s address to the attendees included good-natured quips about his wild ride on muddy roads to Manassas from Washington, D.C.
The Peace Jubilee is remembered in Manassas today with a historical marker that recalls “where survivors of a great battle met fifty years after and exchanged friendly greetings at the place of actual combat.”
Despite the president’s harrowing automobile journey, the Manassas National Jubilee was held according to plan, as advertised in a Southern Railway broadside (left). These panoramic views capture the scene on the Bull Run Battlefield, July 21, 1911, as “several companies of Virginia State Militia and one or more Troops of the United States Cavalry” take part in the exercises. Although not part of the original plan, the president returned to Washington on the Southern Railway, advertised in the same column as the jubilee.
Archie Butt termed Taft’s Peace Jubilee address a “flubdub speech about the Blue and the Gray which brought tears to the eyes of the veterans and smiles to the faces of politicians.”22 Accounts appearing in the Washington newspapers the next day noted how Taft contrasted his trip with that of legislators and their families who flocked from the federal capital to the First Manassas battlefield in 1861 with picnic baskets, only to flee in panic after the Union defeat: “We came down much more slowly than some of the senators and representatives who came down here fifty years ago, and then went back to Washington.” The Washington Evening Star quoted the lines that earned the mud-spattered president his biggest laughs: “I am glad to be on the soil of Virginia—some of it has adhered to me. Virginia is a hospitable state. Its soil and its streams gather about you and cling to you.”23
Archie Butt noted that, after the speech, Taft “spent about a half hour shaking hands with the old veterans who were there in Blue and Gray.”24 The president’s official schedule had included a meal and reception beginning at 6:30 p.m. at Annaburg Manor, the home of Anna Valaer Portner, widow of brewer Robert Portner.25 Fatigue and the lateness of the hour forced the president to cancel, though he did stop at the home of Judge James Bankhead Taylor Thornton (brother of the senator at whose Fairfax home Taft had enjoyed lunch), “where he had his clothes brushed and served with a cup of tea.”26
A group of Southern Railway executives (possibly including President William Finley) reached Manassas in a special train just as Taft’s party was ready to leave. The latter were installed in a private car and the train departed Manassas at about 7:30 p.m. Despite his ordeal, Taft, in Butt’s words, “landed back in Washington safe and joyful.” Taft’s professional diary states, “In spite of his hardships, The [sic] President declared the day a great success, but said he would not care to have it repeated.”27
As for the automobiles that made, or attempted, the day’s epic journey:
Today the dead automobiles came snorting into town one by one. First came the Secret Service car. It had remained in the stream nearly all night. Then Senator Brandegee’s car was rescued and later still the newspaper cars were sighted limping into port.28
On July 22, 1911, Congress passed the Canadian reciprocity bill. Mindful of the previous day’s adventure, the Washington Evening Star ran a front-page Clifford K. Berryman cartoon showing a beaming Taft motoring through a raging creek with his arm around an equally happy anthropomorphic version of the bill, cheered on by Uncle Sam and Berryman’s famous creation, the teddy bear. The title said it all: “Safely Across the Ford ”29
1. “Peace Jubilee Over,” Alexandria Gazette, July 22, 1911, 3.
2. A comprehensive and well-illustrated history of the event is the booklet 100th Anniversary of the Manassas National Jubilee of Peace, July 1911–July 2011 (Manassas, Va.: Manassas Museum System, 2011). For a profile of Virginia’s last Confederate veteran governor, see William Rhodes, “William Hodges Mann, Last of the Boys in Gray,” in The Governors of Virginia, 1860–1978, ed. Edward Younger and James Tice Moore (Charlottesville: University Press of Virginia, 1982), 182–94. The cultural and political dimensions of Civil War veterans’ reunions are examined in David W. Blight, Race and Reunion: The Civil War in American Memory (Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 2001), 338–80.
3. The Roosevelt-Taft relationship is covered extensively in Doris Kearns Goodwin, The Bully Pulpit: Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft, and the Golden Age of Journalism (New York: Simon & Schuster, 2013). Events of Taft’s presidency from his
“Safely Across the Ford,” a Clifford Berryman cartoon published the day after Taft’s wild ride, captures the president’s joy over the passage of the Canadian reciprocity bill, which he embraces while fording floodwaters in his White steamer as Uncle Sam and Berryman’s trademark teddy bear are cheering.
election to midsummer 1911, including Mrs. Taft’s strokes, are discussed in chapters 22–25.
4. Archibald Butt to Clara Butt, July 20, 1911, Archibald W. Butt Papers, Georgia Department of Archives and History, Atlanta, Ga. Apparently the letter was never mailed, as it does not appear in the published volume of Butt’s correspondence covering the period in question. Schedule K was the section of the U.S. tariff that levied duties on wool. For a contemporaneous discussion of the matter, see William S. Culbertson, “The Tariff Board and Wool Legislation,” American Economic Review 3, no. 1 (March 1913): 59–84. Wisconsin Senator Robert Marion La Follette was a leading Republican insurgent who clashed frequently with Taft and mounted an unsuccessful campaign to be the party’s presidential nominee in 1912. For a comprehensive biography, see Nancy C. Unger, Fighting Bob La Follette: The Righteous Reformer (Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2000). Archibald Butt was a valued aide to Theodore Roosevelt and William Howard Taft. Distraught over the growing political differences between them and exhausted from years of presidential service, Butt began a six-week European vacation on March 1, 1912. He booked his return trip on RMS Titanic and was one of roughly 1,500 passengers who perished the night of April 15, 1912, when the liner struck an iceberg in the North Atlantic. His body was never recovered. For a recent biography, see George M. Behe, “Archie”: The Life of Major Archibald Butt from Georgia to the Titanic, 3 vols. (Self-published, Lulu.com, 2010).
5. William Howard Taft, speech to the Twelfth Annual Meeting of the Automobile Club of America, December 20, 1911, printed in “Twelfth Annual Banquet,” Club Journal 3, no. 20 (January 6, 1912): 602.
6. Taft’s conversion of the White House stables and purchase of the first official presidential automobiles are examined in great detail in Michael L. Bromley, William Howard Taft and the First Motoring Presidency, 1909–1913 (Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland & Company, 2003), chapters 4–9.
7. Ibid., 31, 33, 100–103.
8. Ibid., 100–103; “‘To Lead Virginia Out of the Mud’: Financing the Old Dominion’s Public Roads, 1922–1924,” Virginia Magazine of History and Biography 94, no. 4 (October 1986): 427.
9. The riders in Taft’s car are identified by name in “Has Strenuous Trip: President Rides Through Mud and Rain to Manassas,” Washington Evening Star, July 22, 1911, 5. The makes and models of the three vehicles accompanying Taft’s steamer are not known. The car carrying the Secret Service agents was rented from Barnette Bros. of Washington, D.C., and appears to have been gasoline-powered. Bromley, First Motoring Presidency, 379. Since such cars repeatedly foundered in swollen streams during Taft’s trip, the one vehicle that kept up with the president’s White Model M was evidently steam-powered. “Besides the President’s car, another relief steamer passed the ford successfully.” “Taft and Party Stranded in the Flooded Creeks,” Washington Herald, July 22, 1911, 1. “Gas cars would have no chance at all in this current, but the steam cars might pull through.” Archibald Butt to Clara Butt, July 22, 1911, in Archibald Willingham Butt, Taft and Roosevelt: The Intimate Letters of Archie Butt, Military Aide (Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, Doran, 1930), 2:707.
10. The five reporters who accompanied Taft gathered on the evening of July 21 in Washington’s Willard Hotel to compare notes and reconcile their stories. Butt to Clara Butt, July 22, 1911, Taft and Roosevelt, 703–04. The results were mixed. Some passages, like the quotation that begins this article, appear verbatim in multiple newspapers, while details of individuals, geography, and time differ greatly. Unless otherwise noted, the author has primarily followed the sequence of events as described in “Taft and Party Stranded in the Flooded Creeks,” 1, 3.
11. “Mud and Heroism Mark Taft’s Trip,” Washington Times, July 22, 1911. Although it is not explained in the quoted newspaper article, the reference to “hoods” may mean whatever rain attire the passengers had to put on. While “hood” is the British term for a car’s roof, White Company catalogs define the hood as the engine covering, which was always in place irrespective of weather conditions. “Storm shields” likely refers to the canvas covering that was extended over the passenger compartment in
inclement weather. White called its the “Cape Top.” Catalogs and parts lists for various models of White steam cars are given on the White Steam Car Registry website, www. whitesteamcar.com.
12. Bromley, First Motoring Presidency, 286.
13. Butt to Clara Butt, July 22, 1911,in Taft and Roosevelt, 706.
14. “Has Strenuous Trip,” 5: “Senator Overman of North Carolina, too young to have been in the civil war [sic], went along with Senator Brandegee to keep the veterans straight.”
15. Ibid. Charles Hilles volunteered to test the water’s depth, “but Maj. Archibald Butt, as the fearless man of war of the party, was chosen above him, and removing his newly polished tan shoes and puttees he lurched forward into the stream.” “Taft and Party Stranded in the Flooded Creeks,” 1.
16. Ibid.
17. “Taft’s Auto in Mud,” Washington Post, July 22, 1911, 1; “Taft and Party Stranded in the Flooded Creeks,” 1; “Has Strenuous Trip,” 5. Reciprocity and the alliance of Progressives and Standpatters who opposed it are discussed in Goodwin, Bully Pulpit, 658–61. Taft learned from the senators enroute that only three Democrats would vote against reciprocity the next day. “Taft at Bull Run Tells Peace Plans,” New York Times, July 22, 1911, 1.
18. Quoted in Butt to Clara Butt, July 22, 1911, in Taft and Roosevelt, 708.
19. “Taft at Bull Run Tells Peace Plans,” 1. All the newspaper stories and Archie Butt’s July 22 letter to his sister Clara mention his socks drying on the windshield of Taft’s car. The Washington Post quoted an appraisal of the unshod Butt by a local farmer’s wife: “Hasn’t he got handsome feet?” “Taft’s Auto in Mud,” 2.
20. “President Taft . . . Delivers Speech to Old Soldiers,” Richmond Times-Dispatch, July 22, 1911, 7.
21. Butt to Clara Butt, July 22, 1911, in Taft and Roosevelt, 709.
22. Ibid., 703.
23. Quoted in 100th Anniversary of the Manassas National Jubilee of Peace, 12; “Peace Pacts Ready,” Washington Evening Star, July 22, 1911, 5.
24. Butt to Clara Butt, July 22, 1911, in Taft and Roosevelt, 709–10; “Taft at Bull Run Tells Peace Plans,” 3.
25. The Peace Jubilee schedule appears in 100th Anniversary of the Manassas National Jubilee of Peace, 7.
26. William Howard Taft, professional diary, July 21, 1911, 370. William Howard Taft Papers, series 10: Professional Diaries, 1902 to 1918, Official vol. 4, 1911 June 20–December 31, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. This diary entry contains a detailed account of the Manassas trip, comprising six typewritten pages.
27. Butt to Clara Butt, July 22, 1911, in Taft and Roosevelt, 703, 709–10; Taft, professional diary, 370; “Taft at Bull Run Tells Peace Plans,” 1, 3. Butt refers to “a railway magnate with a private car.” Taft’s professional diary mentions a “special car at Manassas containing railroad officials.” The New York Times identified the savior as “the general manager of the Southern Railway.” No description of Taft’s return rail trip mentions how his White steamer got back to Washington. If it was not loaded onto a flatcar, it was likely driven back to the White House by the chauffeur, James Rundle.
28. “Mud and Heroism Mark Taft’s Trip,” 2.
29. “Safely Across the Ford,” Washington Evening Star, July 22, 1911, 1. Inclusion of the teddy bear reflected Theodore Roosevelt’s support of reciprocity in 1911, but he denounced Taft’s policy in the heated 1912 presidential campaign. Goodwin, Bully Pulpit, 665–66, 694. The reciprocity agreement unraveled when the Liberal government of Canadian Prime Minister Wilfrid Laurier lost a general election on September 21, 1911. D. C. Masters, “Reciprocity,” in The Canadian Encyclopedia, www. thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en.
In June of this year, Lydia Tederick retired from her position as curator of the White House, concluding forty-four years of White House service extending across eight presidencies. Her legacy of devotion to the care and preservation of the White House Collection includes invaluable support for the White House Historical Association’s educational programming. Readily sharing her expertise on the collection by participating in symposia, leading tours, and facilitating extensive photography of rooms and objects for our Historic Guide and many other books, Lydia brought friendship and enthusiasm to every undertaking. A frequent contributor to White House History Quarterly as well as one of its first editorial advisers, Lydia most recently contributed to the forthcoming Furnishing the White House: The Decorative Arts Collection. I recently asked her to reflect on her career, a conversation shared below.
How did you obtain your first role in the curators office?
I was in a museum studies graduate program at George Washington University that required an internship. I learned that the White House Curator’s Office accepted interns and quickly applied. Fortunately, I was selected for the upcoming semester. This internship led to a summer job,
a second internship, and then a position in the office after graduation.
Who was the curator then, and what are your memories of that experience?
Clement Conger was curator at that time. For a graduate student, the experience was very exciting. The office is small, and there are many opportunities to learn and participate in a variety of curatorial activities. In addition to cataloging and researching collection objects, I also assisted with object handling and display.
And your favorite memory overall?
I had an opportunity to see several important visitors and performers during my career at the White House. But what really stands out as memorable in my mind are the official portrait unveiling ceremonies that have occurred at the White House. These events are an opportunity to celebrate a previous president and first lady. The remarks are often memorable, poignant, amusing, and emotional. It is also a wonderful opportunity to honor the artists and their work.
How have the first ladies you worked with influenced the collection?
Every first lady has been interested in the White House and its collection, whether it be caring for the collection or adding to it. Some have taken an active role with
the advisory committee, the Committee for the Preservation of the White House, and have influenced the collecting goals. Others have focused on the placement of objects and improving the visitor experience.
What was your favorite acquisition over the years? Working with associates at the National Gallery of Art and scholar Glenn Peck, we were able to identify a George Bellows painting for the White House Collection. A gift of the White House Acquisition Trust in 2003, Three Children was painted by Bellows in 1919 while his family summered in Middletown, Rhode Island, and features his two daughters. A work by this early twentieth-century American artist was long desired for the collection.
The Bellows is one of many works featured in the Association’s book, Art in the White House. Your work on that title began with the first edition in 1995. What was that experience like, and why is that title so significant?
The work was extensive, but it was certainly rewarding. This publication was the first time that images of every painting, drawing, and sculpture in the White House Collection would be available to the public. Former
curator William Allman and I checked and rechecked the medium, measurements, and signatures of each object to ensure that all of the information was accurate. Publishable quality images were taken of the artworks, some for the first time. All paintings and drawings were removed from their frames so that the entire work would be visible. The title selected for the book, Art in the White House: A Nation’s Pride, is appropriate. The fine arts collection comprises more than five hundred works. Some are very historic, others represent geographic diversity, and other examples are characteristic works by noted artists. This collection is truly something of which to be proud.
What would the collection be like today had Jacqueline Kennedy not put in place the things she did in three short years?
We are greatly indebted to Mrs. Kennedy
for not only appointing the first curator, Lorraine Pearce, but also for establishing the foundation for a museum quality collection. Without this framework, guidelines and goals for the collection and a way to fund acquisitions would not be in place. Through the work of an advisory committee, the Committee for the Preservation of the White House, a successor to Mrs. Kennedy’s Fine Arts Committee, the permanent collection now numbers nearly 60,000 objects. Mrs. Kennedy’s interest in a guidebook and the creation of the White House Historical Association also provided a way to fund acquisitions for the collection, public room refurbishments, and conservation projects, as well as exhibits and publications about White House history. None of these projects would be possible without the support of the Association.
In your view, what are the greatest needs remaining to add to the
There is and has been a great interest in diversifying the collection to provide a broader view of American art and the American experience.
What should Americans appreciate most about the White House Collection that they may not know?
The collection is reflective of different periods of our country’s history—whether it be portraits of former White House residents or famous Americans, images of American life and scenery, or important works by great artisans. It also reflects the history of the President’s House. Objects with a provenance of use in the White House remain a top collecting priority. Mrs. Kennedy once said that “Everything must have a reason for being there.” The White House should showcase the finest objects representing the best of America. The collection seen by guests and visitors should make Americans proud.
