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The United States Marine Band: Musicians
Since 1798, the Marine Band's primary mission has been to provide music for the President of the United States. Whether performing for South Lawn arrival ceremonies, state dinners, receptions, or accompanying famous entertainers, the musicians appear at the White House nearly 200 times annually. These performances range from a solo pianist or harpist to the full concert band. The band can form
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The United States Marine Band: The President's Own
A long and distinguished association with the presidency has honored the Marine Band. There is a sense of family among band members toward the presidents and their families, and the feeling is mutual. On one occasion during the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln appeared outside during a Marine Band concert and the audience clapped and clamored for a speech. The
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The United States Marine Band: The Directors
During its first two centuries, the Marine Band has had more than two dozen directors. Each leader has contributed to the recognition and appreciation of "The President's Own" through their original band compositions, orchestral transcriptions, and programming. Directors serve as music advisor to the White House and traditionally are selected from within the band's membership. As the Sousa baton is
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Inside the Working White House: 20th Century
"Every day is wash-day at the White House,” housekeeper Elizabeth Jaffray recalled. The three maids assigned to the laundry when Jaffray first arrived in 1909 did not use electrical appliances; the immense amount of daily washing was done manually, then pressed with flat-irons. At least once a day, while the laundrywomen were at their tasks downstairs, a houseman ran a large ca
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The Working White House: First Family
In the day-to-day life of the White House, interactions between the first family and the residence staff have varied widely. Theodore Roosevelt’s children counted on valet James Amos to umpire their baseball games. Lynda and Luci Johnson baked cookies in the White House kitchen. Mamie Eisenhower invited workers and their children to the Eisenhower farm in Pennsylvania; and many pr
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The Press at the White House: 1901-1918
In 1902, the executive offices were moved from the second floor of the White House to the newly erected Executive Office Building (later named the West Wing). The building included an innovation—a small press room. Reporter access during the Theodore Roosevelt administration changed markedly when he required that cabinet members channel all press requests through his private secretary. William H. Ta
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The American Presidents and Shakespeare
On April 23, 1932, Shakespeare-lovers from around the country flocked to Washington, D.C., to attend the dedication of the handsome new Folger Shakespeare Library, with President Herbert Hoover and First Lady Lou Henry Hoover sitting on a platform to watch the ceremony. The main speaker was Joseph Quincy Adams Jr., a descendant of Presidents John and John Quincy Adams who taught
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The Press at the White House: 1941-1952
In 1945, Harry S. Truman proposed a major West Wing expansion that would add a studio and auditorium for press briefings. The plans lacked Congressional support and were not executed. Truman moved the meeting place for press conferences from the Oval Office to the Indian Treaty Room in the State Department (today’s Eisenhower Executive Office Building). Truman’s press conferences were
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The Press at the White House: 1952-1963
Dwight D. Eisenhower’s Press Secretary James C. Hagerty permitted radio, television and newspaper equipment to record coverage of news conferences on January 19, 1955. The conferences were held about every two weeks and before the film was released to the public, Hagerty edited what were considered the most newsworthy portions. On January 25, 1961, John F. Kennedy, long comfortable with print and electronic me
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The Press at the White House: 1963-1980
Lyndon B. Johnson changed the nature of press conferences by including impromptu sessions where reporters might ask a few questions rather than the formal forums held in the Indian Treaty Room or State Department (Eisenhower EOB) auditorium. In 1969, a new Press Briefing Room was created in the west terrace by covering over a swimming pool installed for President Franklin Roosevelt.
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The Willard Hotel
During the Civil War, the fighting at times came so close to the capital that the Lincolns could hear the sounds of battle from their country retreat at the Soldiers’ Home, 3 miles north of the White House.1 One of the officers in the Union Army charged with defending the capital noted in his tiny leather-bound diary: "July 17, 1862: This night I sl
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The Press at the White House: 1992-2008
Bill Clinton and George W. Bush followed the practice established by President George H. W. Bush of holding press conferences with foreign leaders. Reporters find the frequent use of joint conferences restrictive, as the expectation is that the questions will revolve around the work of the two leaders. The number of questions is also frequently limited. In 1995, Press Secretary Mike