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Bio
Ulysses S. Grant
On April 27, 1822, Ulysses S. Grant was born in Point Pleasant, Ohio. Grant’s father, Jesse, was a tanner and an abolitionist. Grant received an education from several private schools and later attended the United States Military Academy at West Point. After graduating in the middle of his class, Grant was stationed in Missouri where he visited with his former classmate an
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Scholarship
Arts Advisors in the Kennedy White House
President John F. Kennedy and First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy’s advocacy for the performing arts endures as a vital part of the Kennedy White House legacy. From 1961 to 1963, the White House became a focal point for arts and culture as the administration hosted numerous concerts and performances. One of the most significant White House concerts during the Kennedy years took pl
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Indiana and the White House
The White House is often referred to as the “people’s house.” Indeed, many people from across the United States have influenced the White House in a variety of ways. From elder statesmen to young innovators, the state of Indiana can proudly claim numerous connections with the White House – both with the physical building and with those who have occupied it. Ind
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Benjamin Banneker
Benjamin Banneker, a free African-American man living in a slave state in the eighteenth century, never knew the weight of iron shackles or the crack of an overseer’s whip. A native of Baltimore County, Maryland, his experience diverged from those of most African Americans living in the early United States. He received a formal education during his youth, maintained hi
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The Slave Quarters at Decatur House
Nestled in the heart of Washington, D.C., Lafayette Park attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors every year. From school groups to tourists, protesters to foreign dignitaries, many are drawn to the most prominent building on the square—the White House. Yet few fully realize just how much the neighborhood has changed since 1800, when President John Adams first moved into th
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Building the President's House with Enslaved Labor
In several ways, James Hoban’s life resembles the classic immigrant success story. Born to a modest family in County Kilkenny, Ireland, Hoban studied at the Dublin Society School of Architectural Drawing before seeking greater opportunities abroad. He arrived in the new United States by 1785 and was settled in Charleston, South Carolina, by 1787, where he and his business partner Pierce Pu
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The Vice-Presidency
In 1848, Senator Daniel Webster of Massachusetts was offered the vice-presidential nomination for the Whig Party, alongside presidential nominee Zachary Taylor. Webster, known for his oratory and quick wit, allegedly responded, “I do not propose to be buried until I am really dead and in my coffin.”1 Notwithstanding Webster’s observation, the vice presidency as an office has gradually grown in power
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Article
The White House Social Secretary
The White House Historical Association began an oral history project in 2010 under the guidance of Maria Downs, the Association’s public affairs director and the White House Social Secretary during the Gerald Ford administration. Ms. Downs recognized that important insights into White House history were slipping away with the passing of social secretaries. They rarely wrote or spoke of their ex
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Article
Fond Farewell
Neil W. Horstman retired this spring, thus ending a distinguished career with the White House Historical Association. He led the organization for twenty years. We offer this appreciative tribute to him, a man of vision who generously paved the way for all of us.Horstman was a well-known figure in historic preservation long before he came to the Association. Notable
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Scholarship
Letter from Our President
July 28th would have been the 86th birthday of one of the great First Ladies in American history; one whose role and influence still has a significant White House legacy. At the young age of 32, Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy became First Lady of the United States. She had a vision with wisdom and foresight beyond her years. The influence that she