William Bushong - In Memoriam (1953-2016)

The White House Historical Association is deeply saddened by the loss of our esteemed Chief Historian William Bushong. His pivotal contributions to the field of White House history were based on profound and singular knowledge of this field. Known by his colleages as Bill, his role at the Association as a generous mentor, a valued collaborator, and a source of extraordinary creativity, often imparted with irrepressible wit, will be greatly missed.

Bill’s many years of dedicated work at the Association included developing research projects and historical content; contributing articles to the Association’s journal, White House History; website management; and directing the establishment of our recently-launched digital library. Prior to joining the Association in 1997, he worked as a historian with the National Park Service and an independent author and historic preservation planner, as well as an adjunct assistant professor at Goucher College. Bill received his B.A. from North Carolina State University, his M.A. from Appalachian State University, and his Ph.D. in American Civilization from The George Washington University.

Among his many projects and publications are a historic resource study of Washington, D.C.'s Rock Creek Park; research for “From Mars to Main Street: America Designs, 1965-1990”, an exhibition on contemporary federal design held at the National Building Museum in 1992-1994; North Carolina's Executive Mansion: The First 100 Years (1991); Uncle Sam's Architects: Builders of the Capitol (1994); anannotated edition of Glenn Brown's History of the United States Capitol (2008); and, most recently, contributions to National Geographic’s Inside the White House: Stories from the World’s Most Famous Residence (2013).