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A north
view of President Buchanan’s White House, 1859.
In the 1850s, African Americans were dismissed from the
White House ranks, not to be seen again until after the
Civil War. President James Buchanan’s household staff
was entirely white. Buchanan specified that the new employees
were to be British. He believed that people trained in
the British system of domestic service would be less of
a threat to his privacy and peace of mind. In his view,
they were accustomed to big houses and loyalty was part
of their ethic. Except for the butler, Pierre Vermereu,
who was Belgian, all of the servants living under the
Buchanan roof were from England, Ireland, and Wales. Some
of these continued in service during Lincoln’s administration.
William Seale, The President’s House, White
House Historical Association, 1986
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