The Working White House: A Community of Workers

Gallery

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Culinary staff before dinner for Prince Charles, 2005. Shortly before the official dinner for Prince Charles, members of the White House culinary staff gather for a portrait.
The White House
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Workers wash glasses after a dinner, 1966. An assembly line of workers, still in formal white tie attire, washes hundreds of drinking glasses used at a White House dinner.
White House Historical Association
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Workers prepare tea napkins in the White House sewing room, c. 1945. First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt hosted two tea parties almost every afternoon. “And you had all those tea napkins, two and three hundred at a time,” which needed to be carefully counted and folded, Lillian Rogers Parks recalled.
Lillian Rogers Parks photo album, Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage
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Every occupational group, whether doctors, teachers, or factory workers, has its own distinctive culture. Each group possesses special skills, language, and knowledge, which are shared and communicated among all group members. Certain workplace behaviors and standards must be maintained, and an understanding of these conventions is regularly conveyed to new members of the occupational group.

When members of an occupational group work in a single building, such as the White House, the culture is even more distinctive. No other workplace is both a symbol of the nation and the private residence of an American family. Moreover, the White House staff must synchronize its culture with that of a new first family, in order to find the proper balance between serving the nation and serving the home’s residents to the highest possible standards.

Transmitting knowledge about White House operations from one generation of workers to the next maintains stability in work routines and solidifies workers’ sense of membership in the group. It also fortifies the teamwork essential to an efficient workplace and to a positive work environment.

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Famous Quotes from White House Workers

The whole family [of President Theodore Roosevelt] were fiends when it came to reading. No newspapers. Never a moment was allowed to go to waste; from the oldest to the youngest they always had a book or magazine before them. The President in particular would devour a book, and it was no uncommon thing for him to go entirely through
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The White House Social Secretary

For more than one hundred years, White House Social Secretaries have demonstrated a profound knowledge of protocol and society in Washington, D.C. The position had its beginnings in the Theodore Roosevelt administration when First Lady Edith Roosevelt hired an executive clerk. From the intricacies of ceremony planning to routine office work, the social secretary must possess unfailing tact in
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The Working White House

For more than two centuries, the White House has been the home of American presidents. A powerful symbol of the nation, it is a uniquely private and public space. Since John and Abigail Adams first moved into the “President’s House” in November 1800, hundreds of individuals have worked behind the scenes to help the White House fulfill its roles as a seat
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White House Military Social Aides

The White House Military Social Aides have played an important role in many different White House events and functions. They have assisted the president with diplomatic protocol at state events, at annual meetings with the leaders of Congress and the federal judiciary, and at other significant social events. Military Social Aides play the role of assistant hosts at the White
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The White House Behind the Scenes

While the presidency is often in the eye of the public, those who ensure operations at the White House run smoothly on a day-to-day basis often carry out their work behind the scenes. Furthermore, some of the president's most intimate relationships play out behind the walls of the Executive Mansion. In this collection, pull back the curtain on some of
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The White House Social Secretary

The White House Historical Association began an oral history project in 2010 under the guidance of Maria Downs, the Association’s public affairs director and the White House Social Secretary during the Gerald Ford administration. Ms. Downs recognized that important insights into White House history were slipping away with the passing of social secretaries. They rarely wrote or spoke of their ex
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The White House Social Secretary: Job Description and Work Culture

What are the responsibilities of the social secretary? The social secretary works with the first lady in the overall planning, arrangement, coordination and direction of all official and personal social events given by the president and his family. This includes the form and wording of invitations, the compiling of guest lists, the setting of menus, the seating, the choice of
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19th Century White House Staff

For most of the 19th century, the structure of the White House staff remained generally the same. At the top was the steward, a federal employee who was bonded; the Congress created this position to safeguard the silver and furnishings in the house. The steward was on the government payroll. He functioned as the manager of the house. The job
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The Electric Career of Ike Hoover

A group of physicians and surgeons meeting in Washington 1891 was treated to a reception at the White House on the evening of September 24. President Benjamin Harrison moved among the gathering, and "extended a hearty grasp to each of the doctors."1 The event included "lively airs" by the Marine band, and a chance to wander through the conservatory and reception rooms.
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White House Pets

Animals -- whether pampered household pets, working livestock, birds, squirrels, or strays -- have long been a major part of life at the White House. Some pets simply provided companionship to the president and his family. Others gained fame for a role in shaping the president's public image. No matter what job was bestowed upon them, White House pets usually
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Andrew Jackson's Servants

President Andrew Jackson was a slaveholder who brought a large household of slave domestics with him from Tennessee to the President’s House. Many of them lived in the servant’s quarters, but the president’s body servant slept in the room with him. Jackson’s servants worked under Rachel Jackson’s management at his Tennessee home for the better part of th
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White House Ghost Stories

1862-1863: Mary Todd Lincoln, grieving over her son Willies death in February, began to participate in spirit circles or seances in the Red Room at the White House and the presidential cottage at the Soldiers Home. Spiritualism was wildly popular during the height of the Civil War as families sought comfort for the loss of loved ones. 1901-1904: Jeremiah Jerry