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Presidential valets have been a mainstay at the White House for over 200 years. As personal attendants, they not only perform vital tasks for the President, but act as confidantes and friends in the most trying of circumstances. For more short, educational videos from the White House Historical Association, click here to learn more. For more information about White House workers,
The immense White House Collection has an astonishing mix of paintings, sculptures and portraits. Learn more about the Collection and the artists behind it in Issue 68 of White House History Quarterly, "Art, Artists, and the White House".
The death of a chief executive, regardless of the circumstances—sudden or expected, still in office or decades later—is always a moment of reckoning and reflection. Lindsay M. Chervinsky, Matthew R. Costello, and Sharron Wilkins Conrad joined acclaimed presidential historian Michael Beschloss to discuss the new book Mourning the Presidents. Published by the University of Virginia Press in collaboration with
The White House Historical Association's Official 2023 White House Christmas Ornament features President Gerald R. Ford’s life and legacy. A perfect addition to any holiday tree, this American-made holiday ornament highlights the Fords' White House Christmas decoration themes on the front and the back includes emblems representing President Ford's legacy of service, the 1976 Bicentennial, and even the family dog, Liberty. Vi
The White House Historical Association’s first lecture of the 2023 Quarterly Lecture Series, White House History with Frank Sesno, took place on January 24, 2023 and explored the origins of the televised presidency. The speakers for the event included Kelly O’Donnell, NBC Senior White House Correspondent, Mike McCurry, former White House Press Secretary to President Clinton, and Dr. Martha Kumar, Professor Emer
70% of the U.S. population has a pet - and it has been no different at the White House over the years. Explore how presidents and first families have kept pets at the White House - from cats and dogs to snakes and livestock, and how some of these animals even helped different presidents lead the nation. To learn more
Gayle Jessup White had long heard the stories passed down from her father’s family, that they were direct descendants of Thomas Jefferson—lore she firmly believed, though others did not. For four decades, she researched familial connections to Jefferson, ultimately learning that she was not only a descendant of Jefferson on his father’s side but also the great-great-great-granddaughter of Pet
Early on the morning of December 21, 1970, Elvis Presley arrived at the White House and requested a meeting with President Richard Nixon. This impromptu meeting resulted in a famous photograph of the pair shaking hands in the Oval Office. Today, it remains one of the most requested photographs from the National Archives and Records Administration. Although the photograph is iconic, the
As the articles in our White House and Television issue of White House History Quarterly reveal, for more than sixty years, the televised White House has brought us information, education, and entertainment while shaping our perceptions of the presidency.