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The Working White House: Elizabeth McDuffie

The Working White House: Elizabeth McDuffie

Elizabeth McDuffie (fourth from left) at first anniversary event of United Government Employees, 1937.

Elizabeth McDuffie, a maid in the Roosevelt White House, served as a liaison between First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt and civil rights activists. McDuffie also energetically campaigned for Roosevelt in 1936 and 1940. With Mrs. Roosevelt’s apparent blessing, she was a leader in the United Government Employees, a union with a special following among lower-paid workers.

Credit
Robert W. Woodruff Library