HISTORY
TIMELINE OF OWNERS AND TENANTS
One of the unique aspects of Decatur House's history is the number of residents who made this Lafayette Square their home between 1819 and 1956. The original owners, Stephen and Susan Decatur only enjoyed their new house for fourteen short months - a duel that cut short the life of the naval hero, also cut short his wife's tenancy in the home. Thus began nearly a half-century of revolving tenants and owners - it was not until 1872, the beginning of the Beale occupancy, that a single family occupied the house for a significant period of time.
Though it was the names of the illustrious that most often appeared on the deed or the lease, Decatur House was also occupied by an untold number of servants - including the enslaved. Ongoing research continues to uncover information about these often nameless residents of Decatur House - and known information is included with the biographies residents listed below.
1819-1820
Stephen and Susan Decatur
United States Naval Commissioner and his wife
1820-1822
Baron and Baroness Hyde de Neuville
French Minister to the United States and his wife
1822-1827
Baron de Tuyll
Russian Minister to the United States
1827-1829
Henry Clay
Secretary of State under John Quincy Adams
1829-1831
Martin Van Buren
Secretary of State under Andrew Jackson
1831-1833
Edward Livingston
Secretary of State under Andrew Jackson
1834-1835
Sir Charles Vaughn
British Minister to the United States
1836-1844
John and Providence Gadsby
Hotel and Tavern Owner and his wife
1844-1861
Providence Gadsby
Widow of John Gadsby
1845-1849
George M. Dallas
Vice President of the United States
1849-1850
Joseph Gales
Publisher and Editor
1850-1851
John A. King and James G. King
New York Representative, U.S. Congress and New Jersey Representative, U.S. Congress
1851-1857
William Appleton
Massachusetts Representative, U.S. Congress
1858-1859
James Orr
South Carolina Representative, U.S. Congress
1859-1861
Judah Benjamin
Louisiana Senator, U.S. Congress
1861-1872
John H. McBlair
Agent for heirs of John Gadsby
1861-1865
United States Army
Bureau of Subsistence, Quartermaster General
1872-1893
Edward F. Beale and Mary Beale
Frontiersman, Entrepreneur, Ambassador and his wife
1893-1903
Mary Beale
Widow of Edward Beale, daughter of Samuel Edwards, Pennsylvania Congressman 1785 -1850
1903-1938
Truxtun Beale and Marie Beale
Ambassador to Persia, Greece, Romania, Serbia and his wife
1938-1956
Marie Beale
Socialite, author, and preservationist
1956-2009
The National Trust for Historic Preservation
The nation's largest preservation organization
2010
The National Trust for Historic Preservation and the White House Historical Association establish the National Center for White House History at Decatur House.