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First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy and White House staff, 1963. Taken at John F. Kennedy Jr.’s third birthday party, on December 6, 1963, this photograph reflects the racial diversity of the White House staff. (The boy’s actual birthday, November 25, 1963, was the date of his father’s funeral.)
John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum/NARA
Paul Jennings was born a slave on James Madison’s estate at Montpelier in 1799 and later served as the president’s "body servant" until Madison died in 1836. Pollard Webb, an insurance and real estate agent, purchased Jennings from Dolley Madison in September 1846, and sold him to U.S. Senator Daniel Webster for $120 six months later. This 1847 signed agreement between Paul Jennings and Daniel Webster spells out the ways in which Jennings will repay Daniel Webster for having purchased Jennings’ freedom from Pollard Webb.
Moorland-Spingarn Research Center, Howard University
Book cover of Colored Man’s Reminiscences of James Madison by Paul Jennings, 1865. It is the first documented memoir by a White House worker and remained obscure for many years because so few copies were printed.
Moorland-Spingarn Research Center, Howard University
White House census record, 1830. The U.S. Census in 1830 recorded 14 slaves living in the White House while Andrew Jackson was president. Six slaves were male (two under 10 years; two between 10 and 24; and two between 24 and 36). Eight slaves were female (three under 10; four between 10 and 24; and one between 24 and 36).
National Archives and Records AdministrationAbout this Gallery
For more than two centuries, the White House has depended on employees whose origins can be traced to many nations and cultures. Reflecting the racial and ethnic composition of the U.S. population, these employees have kept the White House running smoothly over the years. Some workers did not serve at the White House voluntarily. Except for George Washington, who never lived in the White House, all southern presidents who held office before 1860 owned slaves and brought some of them to the White House. Slaves worked alongside paid black freemen and European servants at the White House.
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
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
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
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
