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Roland Harley, a doorman in the Usher’s Office, shelters the Reagans from an April shower. When President Ronald Reagan returned to the White House on April 11, 1981, twelve days after he had been shot in the chest, he was greeted by 200 well-wishers on the South Lawn.
Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum/NARA
President James A. Garfield on his deathbed, 1881. After President James A. Garfield was shot on July 2, 1881, he lived for 80 days while doctors tried to save his life. Valet Daniel Spriggs (far left) remained at Garfield’s bedside for most of this time. Spriggs later served in the home of Garfield’s daughter, Mollie, and subsequently worked at the Government Printing Office.
Kiplinger Washington Collection
Winston Churchill with Diana Hopkins, 1941. During the Second World War, Prime Minister Winston Churchill visited the White House so frequently that staff members learned to anticipate his likes and dislikes. In late December 1941, Churchill posed on the lawn with Diana Hopkins, daughter of presidential aide Harry Hopkins, and Fala, the president’s Scottie.
White House Historical Association
President Franklin D. Roosevelt and Vyacheslav M. Molotov, 1942.
Washington Star Collection, Washingtoniana Division, D.C. Public Library
When Vyacheslav M. Molotov, the Soviet Union’s foreign minister, visited
President Franklin D. Roosevelt in the White House during wartime in
May 1942, he did so surreptitiously, calling himself Mr. Brown. But
maître d’ Alonzo Fields noticed “the foxy glint” in Molotov’s eye, and
saw right through the subterfuge.
Alonzo Fields’ journal entry about Vyacheslav Molotov, 1942
Courtesy of Mayland FieldsAbout this Gallery
White House workers’ memoirs abound with recollections of significant international and national events and episodes. As they go about their daily business, members of the residence staff function amidst history in the making.
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
