White House Miscellany

white house miscellany

White House Miscellany

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stewart d. m c laurin

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a s a n er a of electronic books begins, Thornwillow has embarked on its libretto series, dedicated to the belief that physical books– tangible, aehetically pleasing, letterpressprinted, and beautifully bound–have a new and even more important place in our lives: as repositories of permanence in an increasingly ephemeral world of letters. The series will regularly feature the work of celebrated writers – both eablished greats and dazzling up - a nd - come rs – of ion a nd nonion, from prose to poetry.

The Thornwillow Libretto: A growing colleion of voices commemorating our times for times to come.

thornwillow press Ars Omnia Tuetur

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White House Miscellany stewart d. m c laurin

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White House Miscellany

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stewart d. mc laurin

thornwillow press 2016

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introduction: story of the white house historial association The facts and figures provided in this edition are accurate as of March 2016 isbn: 978 -1-93 19 17 -64 -3 Library of Congress Control Number: 2016935 12 8

copyright © 2 0 1 6 white house historical association

I

nspired by the historic legacy of the White House, First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy was instrumental in the establishment of the White House Historical Association in 1961.

Tasked with assisting in the preservation of the state and public rooms, furthering appreciation of the White House, and funding the acquisition of historic furnishings and artwork, the White House Historical Association is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization, which has realized Mrs. Kennedy’s vision for more than fifty years.

The White House Historical Association published its first book, The White House: An Historic Guide, in 1962 with Mrs. Kennedy actively participating in the editing. Since 1962, the White House Historical Association has produced award-winning books on a wide range of subjects related to the history of the President’s House, from its architecture, gardens, fine and decorative arts to

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presidents, first ladies, and those who lived and worked at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

This book of White House miscellany is a collection of stories and facts that connect all Americans to the ever-changing yet continually iconic White House and the lives of the presidents and their families who have made it their home.

With special thanks to the Board of Directors of the White House Historical Association for vision and leadership. And gratitude to Evan Phifer for research assistance. stewart d. m c laurin President The White House Historical Association

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how did the white house get its name?

A popular myth exists that the White House was first painted white to cover up the scorch marks left after British soldiers set fire to the house during the War of 1812. Actually, the White House first gained a lime-based whitewash in 1798 to protect the exterior stone from moisture and cracking during winter freezes. The term “White House” gained popularity before the War of 1812, with the phrase appearing in Baltimore newspapers as early as 1810.

In 1901, President Theodore Roosevelt officially named the Executive Mansion the “White House.”

Before that, the White House had been called several names, including the “President’s House,” and the “Executive Mansion.” Since nearly every U. S. state had an “executive mansion” for its governor, President Roosevelt believed the name “White House” would distinguish the only official residence of the President of the United States.

It takes 300 gallons of white paint to cover the exterior of the Residence and a total of 570 gallons of paint to cover the East and West Wings as well. [  ]

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the white house by the numbers

situating the president’s house

18.84 acres: Acreage of the White House Grounds

Located along the banks of the Potomac River, the site of the nation’s capital city was selected after much debate, through a compromise between southern and northern legislatures during the late 1780s. Some had argued for New York, some for Philadelphia, and others wanted the capital located in one of the southern states to avoid the dangers of centralized financial and political power. In exchange for the federal government assuming state debts from the American Revolution, the capital would be located in a southern region.

The Residence Act of 1790 placed the site along the Potomac River, and gave President George Washington the authority to select the exact location of the capital city.

President Washington marked the spot for the future north walls and entrance of the White House. The chosen location and position for the White House symbolically linked the President’s House to the U.S. Capitol via Pennsylvania Avenue. This plan reflected city designer Pierre Charles L’Enfant’s intent to create two cardinal

168 feet: Length from east to west of the Residence, not including the East and West Wings 152 feet: Width from north to south including the porticoes 70 feet: Height of South Front 60 feet 4 inches: Height of North Front 99,800 square feet: Total square footage including the East and West Wings 6: Number of floors 132: Number of rooms 412: Number of doors 147: Number of windows 35: Number of bathrooms 28: Number of fireplaces 8: Number of staircases 4: Number of kitchens 3: Number of elevators [  ]

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points within his city plan with radiating wide avenues, grid-like streets, and circles. L’Enfant originally planned a much larger Executive Mansion with elegant gardens similar to palaces in Europe. L’Enfant never saw his vision of the President’s House fulfilled. In 1792, President Washington dismissed him for insubordination after he failed to follow the directions of the Commissioners of the District of Columbia, a volunteer committee appointed by the president for overseeing the city’s construction.

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the first architect: james hoban Perhaps no story epitomizes the American Dream better than the life of James Hoban.

Born in Ireland and trained as a carpenter and wheelwright, Hoban apprenticed as an architect and builder in Dublin. He immigrated to the United States and forged a career in Philadelphia and Charleston from 1785 until his move to the nation’s capital in 1792. While working in South Carolina, Hoban was introduced to George Washington, who took note of his talents. When L’Enfant was dismissed and a design competition for the U.S. Capitol and the President’s House was advertised, Washington sought out Hoban, conferred with him, and quickly selected his proposed design for the President’s House in July 1792. From 1792 to 1802, Hoban worked tirelessly to successfully build a residence fit for the president of the new nation. After the British burned the White House in 1814, Hoban returned to rebuild the house and would construct both the South and North Porticoes in 1824 and 1829,

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respectively. In contrast to the wealth of images of the White House, a single wax bas relief is the only known image of Hoban himself. Although James Hoban is not a household name, this IrishAmerican left his legacy in the form of the design of one of our country’s most beloved structures.

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additional architects of the white house Benjamin Henry Latrobe: Considered the first professional American architect, Latrobe was a surveyor of public buildings from 1803 to 1811 and 1814 to 1817. He advised President Thomas Jefferson on improvements to the President’s House including the addition of the East and West Terraces and the landscape design of the grounds. Latrobe refurbished the State Floor for President and Mrs. James Madison and designed custom Greek Revival furniture for the Oval Room.

Charles McKim: Principal designer for the New York firm of McKim, Mead and White’s 1902 Beaux-Arts renovation. This renovation greatly increased the amount of private space in the Residence by the creation of an executive office building (which later evolved into the West Wing) and created an East Wing for arriving guests.

Nathan C. Wyeth: In 1909, Washington, D.C., architect Nathan Wyeth designed the expansion of the executive offices, which included the first Oval Office, a shape inspired by the oval Blue Room. []

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William Adams Delano: In 1927, New York architect William Delano recommended rebuilding the badly deteriorated 1817 roof, increasing the pitch and lowering the attic floor to create space for several new rooms, including a sunroom facing the Potomac River. His design increased usable space while maintaining the historic and traditional appearance of the Executive Residence.

Eric Gugler: New York architect Eric Gugler designed the 1934 expansion of the West Wing that doubled in size during the Franklin D. Roosevelt administration. He built a second story, excavated a larger basement for staff and support services, and moved the Oval Office to its present location in the southeast corner of the West Wing, adjacent to the Rose Garden.

Lorenzo Winslow: Winslow was the chief designer and superintendent of the extensive Truman renovation of the White House between 1948 and 1952. Before undertaking President Truman’s renovations, Winslow designed an indoor swimming pool in 1933, directed the building of the White House Library in 1935, and designed the present East Wing, which was completed in 1942. []

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the legendary white house tiffany screen According to historian William Seale, “perhaps the most legendary object in the White House past, apart from the Lincoln bed and Gilbert Stuart’s portrait of George Washington, was the ‘Tiffany Screen’ of colored glass that stood in the Entrance Hall from 1883 until 1902.” President Chester A. Arthur commissioned the screen designed

by Louis Comfort Tiffany. The 338 square foot glass screen, a patriotic medley of ruby, crimson, white, cobalt, and blue glass, greeted White House visitors and served as an outstanding example of Victorian style. The Tiffany Screen did not survive the 1902 Roosevelt renovation. The glass was auctioned off, partially reinstalled at a Maryland seaside hotel, and destroyed in a 1923 fire.

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white house structural developments

does the white house have a...?

1792: Setting of the White House cornerstone.

Swimming pool? Yes. President Franklin D. Roosevelt had an indoor swimming pool built in the West Terrace in 1933. During the Nixon administration, the Press Briefing Room was built over the pool. President Gerald R. Ford had an outdoor swimming pool built on the South Lawn in 1975 where it remains today.

1802: Construction completed.

1817: Rebuilding of the White House completed following the fire on August 24, 1814, during the War of 1812.

1902 Roosevelt renovation: A new elevator was installed and electric lights fully replaced gaslights.

The western staircase was removed to enlarge the State Dining Room. This renovation saw the erection of the “temporary” executive office building that would evolve into the West Wing. The East Terrace was also rebuilt.

1 9 4 8 – 52 Truman renovation: The White House interior was gutted in an extensive renovation. The original exterior walls remained standing while the interiors were removed and reinstalled within a skeleton of steel structural beams on a new concrete foundation.

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Tennis court? Yes. Built in 1902 behind the executive offices, the tennis court was later moved to the west side of the South Lawn to make room for expanding the executive offices in 1909, including the new Oval Office. President Barack Obama modified the present-day tennis court to allow for both tennis and basketball.

Helicopter landing pad? No. Marine One, the presidential helicopter, lands on the South Lawn of the White House as opposed to a constructed landing pad. Before the arrival of Marine One, large red temporary disks are placed on the South Lawn to facilitate a smooth landing.

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Bowling alley? Yes. First built in 1947 in the West Wing basement, the bowling lanes were relocated to the Old Executive Office Building in 1955. President Richard Nixon, a bowling enthusiast, installed a single lane in 1969 underneath the North Portico driveway.

Library? Yes. The White House Library is decorated with early American antiques and furniture and is located on the Ground Floor. Originally used as a laundry room and later a waiting room for male guests, the space was converted into the Library in 1935.

Horse stable? Not anymore. From 1806 to 1909, the White House did have a series of stables. In 1909, the last stable, built in 1872, was converted into an automobile garage before ultimately being torn down in 1911.

Movie theater? Yes. President Franklin D. Roosevelt converted an East Terrace cloakroom into the Movie Theater in 1 9 4 2 . Although renovated since, the space still functions as a theater, which seats forty-six viewers.

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evolution of the white house fence Circa 1801: A post and rail fence was built around the White House. At the southern end of the South Lawn, an eight-foot stone wall was built to keep livestock off the South Grounds.

1818 – 19: A semicircular driveway with eight stone piers and an iron fence was built across the North Front.

1833: A wrought iron fence was built on top of the stone wall along the façade of the North Front.

1902: The Jackson-era North Portico railing was replaced by a parapet wall.

1937: The wrought iron fence surrounding the South Lawn was replaced by a steel fence affixed with pointed bronze tips.

1941: The grounds were closed, limiting access to only those with appointments. Gatehouses were built at the perimeter.

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1976: The nineteenth-century gates at the North Drive were replaced with steel gates to withstand automobile crashes.

1995: Pennsylvania Avenue, between 17th and 15th Streets, was closed to vehicle traffic.

the gardens by the numbers 1: One Japanese maple tree was planted

by First Lady Frances Folsom Cleveland.

It is still standing.

2004: With the assistance of landscape architects and security personnel, construction was completed on a newly designed Pennsylvania Avenue in front of the White House to accommodate both pedestrian traffic and enhanced security measures.

4: Four mature saucer magnolias were transplanted from the Tidal Basin into President John F. Kennedy’s redesigned Rose Garden in 1962.

2015: Removable metal points were installed on top of the White House fence as a temporary measure to deter climbing and fence jumping.

18: Eighteen Japanese cherry trees were planted by First Lady Helen Herron Taft near the fountain basin on the South Lawn.

9: Nine weeping cherry trees were planted

by First Lady Lady Bird Johnson around the fountain on the South Grounds.

51: Fifty-One varieties of plants were grown in President James Madison’s White House garden.

61: Sixty-One inches in diameter: chestnut oak on the South Lawn that may predate the construction of the White House.

489: 489 trees were growing on the White House Grounds during President Theodore Roosevelt’s administration.

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More than 700 saplings were planted by President John Quincy Adams.

white house ovals

30,000 summer annuals were planted during President Benjamin Harrison’s administration.

Blue Room: State Floor Diplomatic Reception Room: Ground Floor

63,250 flowering spring bulbs were planted by First Lady Frances Folsom Cleveland on the White House Grounds.

Yellow Oval Room: Second Floor

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Oval Office: West Wing

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john adams in the state dining room

the onlys

“I pray Heaven to bestow the best of Blessings on this House and all that shall hereafter inhabit it. May none but honest and wise Men ever rule under this roof.”

In 1940, President Franklin D. Roosevelt authorized the engraving of the above prayer onto the mantel of the fireplace in the State Dining Room.

The inscription was quoted from a letter written

by President John Adams to First Lady Abigail Adams on November 2, 1800, the day after he moved into the White House.

Only president to never live in the White House: George Washington Only first lady born outside of the United States: Louisa Catherine Adams, wife of President John Quincy Adams. She was born in London, England on February 12, 1775.

Only president to learn English as a second language: Martin Van Buren, who grew up in a large Dutch community in New York.

Only president to also serve as Speaker of the House: James K. Polk Only president to also serve as Chief Justice of the United States: William Howard Taft Only president who was never married: James Buchanan Only president to get married in the White House: Grover Cleveland. He is also the only president to return to the White House for a non-consecutive second term. Additionally, he is the only president to have a child born in the White House.

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Only president buried in Washington, D.C: Woodrow Wilson Only president who was born on the Fourth of July: Calvin Coolidge Only president elected to serve four terms: Franklin D. Roosevelt. During World War II, his fourth inauguration ceremony was held on the South Portico of the White House instead of at the Capitol Building.

Only president to serve who was never elected either president or vice president: Gerald R. Ford

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dolley madison saves washington’s portrait Completed in 1797, Gilbert Stuart’s painting of George Washington was the first piece of artwork purchased for display in the White House.

On August 24, 1814, during the War of 1812, British troops invaded Washington, D.C. After it became known British soldiers were only miles away, Dolley Madison and several servants rescued what they could. Seeing Stuart’s painting of Washington, Mrs. Madison ordered it saved, and it was carried off to a safe hiding place in Maryland. Later that night, British troops set fire to the Capitol and the White House. Although the British celebrated the capture of the White House and destroyed many of the first family’s possessions, they could not claim the capture or destruction of George Washington’s famous portrait. The portrait currently hangs in the East Room of the White House.

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hail to the chief: notable white house musical events January 1, 1801: The Marine Band first performed at the White House.

1861– 65: During the Civil War, the Marine Band gave weekly concerts on the White House Grounds and in the adjacent Lafayette Park, raising morale in wartime Washington, D.C. April 22, 1889: The Marine Band, conducted by John Philip Sousa, first performed at the White House Easter Egg Roll.

November 15, 1911: The Mormon Tabernacle Choir performed for President and Mrs. William Howard Taft in the East Room.

June 8, 1939: Nearly two months after her famous performance at the Lincoln Memorial, Marian Anderson sang at the White House during a visit from King George VI and Queen Elizabeth of England.

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November 13, 1963: Bagpipers from The Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment) of Scotland performed on the South Lawn. Members of this band would play again less than two weeks later at President John F. Kennedy’s funeral.

April 29, 1969: On his 70th birthday, Duke Ellington performed at the White House and received the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

President Richard Nixon played “Happy Birthday” on the piano onstage to celebrate.

June 18, 1978: President Jimmy Carter hosted a jazz festival on the South Lawn. Performers included James Hubert “Eubie” Blake and Dizzy Gillespie.

1981 –89: “In Performance at the White House,” a televised concert series launched in 1978 featuring classical music, grew during the Reagan administration to include a broad variety of artists such as Johnny Mathis, Liza Minnelli, and Patti Austin.

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June 18, 1993: President William J. Clinton played saxophone onstage along with musicians during a concert on the South Lawn celebrating the fortieth anniversary of the Newport Jazz Festival. Clinton told the audience of 400 that “Jazz is really America’s classical music. Like our country itself and especially the people who created it, jazz is a music of struggle, but played in celebration.”

November 24, 2014: President Barack Obama awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom to singer-songwriter Stevie Wonder. Obama told the audience that Wonder’s 1972 album Talking Book was the first album he bought with his own money.

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lincoln slept here (or not): the story of the lincoln bedroom Many have heard about the Lincoln Bedroom and assumed it has a personal connection to President Abraham Lincoln, but Lincoln never actually slept there. President Lincoln used the Second Floor room as his office and Cabinet Room, and it remained an office until President Theodore Roosevelt turned it into a bedroom. During the Truman renovation, the room was furnished in the Victorian style, incorporating several Lincolnera pieces of furniture, including the rosewood bed purchased by First Lady Mary Todd Lincoln.

She placed it in a guest room, but Lincoln himself probably never slept in the bed that is now known by his name.

In 2 0 02 , First Lady Laura Bush initiated the refurbishment of the Lincoln Bedroom.

Supported by the White House Historical Association and with the advice of the Committee for the Preservation of the White House, the first lady oversaw the project, during which curators

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and other specialists used period documents, photographs, and descriptions of the Lincolnera White House furnishings, wallpaper, and carpeting to recreate a more accurate 1860s décor.

deaths in the white house April 4, 1841: President William Henry Harrison, typhoid fever September 10, 1842: First Lady Letitia Tyler, stroke July 9, 1850: President Zachary Taylor, gastroenteritis February 20, 1862: President Lincoln’s son “Willie”, typhoid fever December 15, 1873: First Lady Julia Grant’s father Frederick Dent, died peacefully in his bed after complaining of feeling unwell January 1, 1883: Minister of the Kingdom of Hawaii to the United States Elisha Hunt Allen, heart attack October 25, 1892: First Lady Caroline Scott Harrison, tuberculosis August 6, 1914: First Lady Ellen Axson Wilson, Bright’s disease

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December 5, 1950: White House Press Secretary Charles G. Ross, heart attack

white house firsts

December 5, 1952: First Lady Bess Truman’s mother Margaret Gates Wallace, cerebral thrombosis

1806: Birth in the White House, James Madison Randolph, grandson of President Thomas Jefferson 1809: Furnace system 1812: Wedding, First Lady Dolley Madison’s sister Lucy Payne Washington to Thomas Todd 1833: Running water 1840: Hot air heating system 1841: Funeral, President William Henry Harrison 1874: State Dinner, King David Kalakaua of the Sandwich Islands (Hawaii), hosted by President Ulysses S. Grant 1877: Presidential Inauguration held in the White House, Rutherford B. Hayes 1878: Easter Egg Roll 1879: Telephone 1881: Elevator 1889: Indoor Christmas tree 1891: Electric lighting

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1929: Telephone installed on a president’s desk, Herbert Hoover

the white house collection

1947: Television

Like all great museums, the White House possesses an outstanding collection of fine and decorative arts. Overseen by the Office of the Curator, the permanent White House collection of more than 50,000 objects celebrates America’s cultural and artistic heritage. The collection includes more than 500 paintings, sculptures, and drawings, in addition to furniture, lighting fixtures, and rugs.

China, glassware, and flatware comprise more than half of the permanent collection.

Throughout most of the nineteenth century, the White House mostly collected portraits. Furniture was seen as temporary and frequently auctioned off to raise funds for refurbishments. Attitudes began to change in the late nineteenth century when First Lady Caroline Harrison recognized the need to preserve the history of the house. She organized and cataloged surviving examples of porcelain, silver, and glassware of former presidents. In 1917, First Lady Edith Wilson established the China Room to display historic glassware and china.

First Lady Lou Hoover created the Monroe Room

1957: Helicopter landing on the South Lawn for presidential use 1962: Official White House guidebook published by the White House Historical Association 1981: Annual White House Christmas Ornament created by the White House Historical Association 1992: E-mail 1994: Official White House website 1995: First painting by African American artist added to collection, Henry Ossawa Tanner, Sand Dunes at Sunset, Atlantic City 2009: Official White House Facebook and Twitter accounts 2015: First painting by African American woman added to collection, Alma Thomas, Resurrection

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on the Second Floor, furnishing the room with reproductions of Monroe’s furniture. This room currently functions as the Treaty Room.

The Kennedy-era White House witnessed a large expansion of its collection. Initiated by First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy’s vision of the White House as a “living museum,” items associated with White House history were returned to the Executive Mansion, many of them donated.

Outstanding examples of American decorative arts and furnishings without a White House provenance were also acquired, increasing the importance of the collection. The White House Historical Association, formed under the auspices of Mrs. Kennedy, has supported the acquisition and conservation of fine works of American art and decorative arts for the White House collection for more than fifty years.

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white house eagles right and left Many objects in the White House collection feature a bald eagle, the emblem of the United States. Many times the eagle is represented clutching the olive branches of peace in its right claw and the arrows of war in its left claw. The direction the eagle faces on objects in the White House collection, however, is not always consistent. There is a popular misconception that the direction of the eagle on the Presidential Seal changes to face the arrows of war when the United States enters armed conflict. This is not true. In 1945, President Truman decided the Presidential Seal should have the eagle facing right, the traditional direction of honor, and towards the olive branches of peace.

Since then, items such as White House china and letterhead feature a right facing eagle. Before Truman’s official designation creating the modern Presidential Seal, designs based on preference resulted in inconsistent eagle patterns on objects made for White House use, not whether the item was made during a time of war or peace.

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the resolute desk One of the most iconic spaces of the modern presidency is the Oval Office, a powerful symbol of executive responsibility. For many presidents, the Resolute desk has been the central object in the president’s office. The story of the desk goes back to 1855 when a whaler named George Henry found the abandoned ship the H.M.S. Resolute off Baffin Island in the Arctic. The ship was returned to England and served the British Navy for many more years. After England finally decommissioned the ship, its oak timbers were used to create a desk weighing more than 1,000 pounds. Given by Queen Victoria to President Rutherford B. Hayes in 1880, this desk has since been used by many presidents. Presented as a token of friendship between the United States and the United Kingdom, the Resolute desk itself has become a symbol in its own right, signifying the responsibilities, power, and influence of the modern-day presidency. The desk has also gained

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cultural significance through its presence in film and television productions as well as in iconic White House photographs, most notably the photo of John F. Kennedy Jr. peering out from under the desk as his father worked.

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longest serving white house stewards and chief ushers Chief Usher Gary Walters: twenty-one years, 1986 –2007 Chief Usher Irwin “Ike” Hoover: twenty years, 1913 –33 Chief Usher Howell G. Crim: nineteen years, 1938–57 Chief Usher Rex W. Scouten: seventeen years, 1969 – 86 Steward William Sinclair: sixteen years, 1885 –1901 Steward Joseph Boulanger: twelve years, 1833 –45 Chief Usher J. B. West: twelve years, 1957–69

weddings at the white house March 29, 1812: First Lady Dolley Madison’s sister Lucy Payne Washington to Thomas Todd, most likely the Blue Room March 9 , 182 0 : President James Monroe’s daughter Maria to Mrs. Monroe’s nephew Samuel Lawrence Gouverneur, most likely the Blue Room February 25, 182 8: President John Quincy Adams’s son John to First Lady Louisa Adams’s niece Mary Catherine Hellen, Blue Room April 10, 1832: President Andrew Jackson’s late wife’s niece Mary A. Eastin to Lucius J. Polk, East Room November 29, 1832: President Jackson’s friend’s daughter Mary Anne Lewis to Alphonse Pageot, East Room January 31, 1842: President John Tyler’s daughter Elizabeth to William Waller, East Room May 21, 1874: President Ulysses S. Grant’s daughter Nellie to Algernon Sartoris, East Room

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June 19, 1878: First Lady Lucy Hayes’s niece Emily Platt to Russell Hastings, Blue Room June 2, 1886: President Grover Cleveland to Frances Folsom, Blue Room February 1 7 , 1 9 0 6 : President Theodore Roosevelt’s daughter Alice to Nicholas Longworth III, East Room November 2 5 , 1 9 1 3 : President Woodrow Wilson’s daughter Jessie to Francis Bowes Sayre, East Room

June 12, 1971: President Richard M. Nixon’s daughter Tricia to Edward Finch Cox, Rose Garden May 28, 1994: First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton’s brother Anthony Rodham to Nicole Boxer, Rose Garden October 19, 2013: Chief Official White House Photographer Pete Souza to Patti Lease, Rose Garden

May 7, 19 1 4 : President Wilson’s daughter Eleanor to William Gibbs McAdoo, Blue Room August 7, 1918: President Wilson’s niece Alice Wilson to Isaac Stuart McElroy Jr., Blue Room July 30, 1942: Harry Hopkins, chief advisor to President Franklin D. Roosevelt, to Louise Gill Macy, Yellow Oval Room December 9, 1967: President Lyndon Baines Johnson’s daughter Lynda to Charles Spittal Robb, East Room

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state dinners: guest countries by the numbers* 24: United Kingdom 17: West Germany 15: Italy 14: Japan 13: Mexico 12: France, Israel 11: Canada 9: India 8: Australia, Iran, Jordan, South Korea, Venezuela 7: China, Colombia, Denmark, Egypt, Morocco, Pakistan, Philippines 6: Brazil, Ireland 5: Argentina, Ethiopia, Liberia, Poland, Soviet Union, Spain, Thailand

3: Austria, Belgium, Costa Rica, Czech Republic (Czechoslovakia), Germany, Greece, Ivory Coast, Luxembourg, Nepal, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Paraguay, Peru, Sandwich Islands (Hawaii),Yugoslavia 2: Bolivia, Cuba, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Finland, Ghana, Guatemala, Hungary, Indonesia, Kenya, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Uruguay 1: Afghanistan, Algeria, Bahamas, Bahrain, Barbados, Chad, Grenada, Guinea, Haiti, Honduras, Iceland, Kuwait, Madagascar, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Norway, Oman, Portugal, Senegal, Somali Republic, South Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Sweden, Ukraine, Upper Volta, Yemen Arab Republic, Zambia

4: Chile, Ecuador, Netherlands, Panama, Romania, Singapore, Tunisia, Turkey

*As of March 2016. List compiled from newspaper articles, records in the Presidential Libraries, and the Public Papers of the Presidents. Only State Dinners given for foreign heads of state and heads of government are included. Names of countries are given as they were at the time.

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state dinners: number of state dinners hosted by adminstration

Herbert Hoover: 6

Ronald Reagan: 59

Grover Cleveland: 2

Lyndon Baines Johnson: 53

Ulysses S. Grant: 1

Richard M. Nixon: 45

Chester A. Arthur: 1

Gerald R. Ford: 32

William McKinley: 1

William J. Clinton: 32 Dwight D. Eisenhower: 28 George H. W. Bush: 28 Jimmy Carter: 25

Barack Obama: 10 Calvin Coolidge: 3

*As of March 2016. List compiled from newspaper articles, records in the Presidential Libraries, and the Public Papers of the Presidents. Only State Dinners given for foreign heads of state and heads of government are included.

Franklin D. Roosevelt: 18 John F. Kennedy: 15 George W. Bush: 12 Harry S. Truman: 11

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white house blue room christmas trees by state origin since 1961

types of blue room christmas trees by number of occurrences since 1 9 61

North Carolina: 12

Firs: 47

Pennsylvania: 9

Spruces: 7

Washington: 7

Pines: 1

Wisconsin: 7

Although previous presidential administrations displayed Christmas trees indoors, it was First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy who established the tradition of displaying a thematically decorated Blue Room Christmas tree in 1961. As of Christmas 2015, the tradition has been interrupted only twice. In 1962, the tree was displayed in the Entrance Hall instead of the Blue Room because of renovation work. In 1969, First Lady Patricia Nixon chose the Entrance Hall again to make the tree more visible.

West Virginia: 4 Ohio: 3 Indiana: 2 Michigan: 2 New York: 2 Oregon: 2 Massachusetts: 1 Missouri: 1 Vermont: 1 Anonymously Donated from New England: 1 Unknown: 1 []

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white house miscellany is the ninth in our series of Libretti.

The edition was set in Jenson, printed letterpress and limited to 5,000 copies bound in paper wrappers and 150 copies printed on husk paper. These copies are bound in leather with pastepaper made especially for the edition and are signed by the author. The edition was designed & produced under the direion of Luke Ives Pontifell libretto ix

thornwillow press Ars Omnia Tuetur

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stewart douglas m c laurin is the President of the White House Historical Association in Washington, D.C. the white house historical association is a charitable nonprofit institution whose purpose is to enhance the understanding, appreciation and enjoyment of the White House. To fulfill its purpose, the White House Hi sto r i c a l A ss o c i a t i on p ro du ce s educational literature and films, school programs, and maintains a website at WhiteHouseHistory.org that interprets the history, persons, and events associated with the White House. please look for other Thornwillow Libretti by Adam Gopnick, Lorin Stein, Peter Matthiessen, Harry Belafonte, Roland Mesnier, and other celebrated artis and writers. thornwillow.com []

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