In this detail of a 2007 oil painting
by Peter Waddell, Ike Hoover attends to an
electric light fixture in the cross hall of
the White House. White House Historical
Association.
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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.
The
guests also had the exciting opportunity
to experience the latest
technology in the White House. In a front page article
on September 25, 1891, the Washington
Post reported that as a special treat
for the doctors, "The East Room . .
. was darkened, and the electric lights were
turned on. The brilliant effect was greatly
admired."2
Back in May, the Post had
remarked on the progress of electrifying
the Executive Mansion. "The men are
still at work putting in the electric lights,
and when they are through," the Post declared, "there
will be nearly 1,000 incandescent lamps in
the White House."3
One of the young
men on the installation job had reported
for duty on May 6. He was nineteen-year-old
Irwin H. Hoover, known as "Ike." In
his memoir, Hoover recalls,
"In
due time I got down to the job of wiring
and installing the electric appliances. The
wonderful old chandeliers, built for gas,
were converted into combination fixtures
and the candle wall brackets were replaced
by electric fixtures in the fashion of the
time. . . . The Harrisons were all much interested
in this new and unusual device that was being
installed; so much so, that we got quite
well acquainted with them."4
Hoover
had been told he would not be needed after
May 15, but the next day he received an offer
of full-time employment as White House Electrician.
He hesitated to take the job because the
salary was so low, but accepted the offer
and became, "like the electric
lights, a permanent fixture."5
Ike Hoover
spent 42 years working at the White House,
advancing from electrician into the ushers'
ranks. During the Taft administration he
was appointed Chief Usher, and he held this
job until he died in 1933.
1 "Now Ready to Depart; .
. . Brilliant Scene in the East Room of the
White House," Washington
Post, September 25, 1891: 1.
2 Ibid.
3 "Again at the Capital," Washington
Post, May 16, 1891: 1.
4 Irwin Hood Hoover, Forty-Two Years
in the White House, 1934. Westport:
Greenwood (reprint,) 1974: 6.
5 Ibid. |
