- White House Chief Usher
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White House Chief Usher is the title of the head of household staff and operations at the White House, the official residence and principal workplace of the President of the United States.
The Chief Usher is, by description, charged with the responsibility "for the effective operation of the White House Complex and Executive Residence, site of Official and Ceremonial activities of the Presidency, and a museum of our American history ... [Chief Usher] develops and administers the budget for the operation, maintenance, and utilities and supervises the Executive Residence staff." In carrying out this charge, the Chief Usher must coordinate Executive Residence actions with a host of organizations including the Executive Office of the President, the National Park Service, the Secret Service, the General Services Administration, the military, and other government entities. The Chief Usher serves at the pleasure of the president and coordinates both official and family life at the White House.
For operations involving official ceremonies, such as the State Arrival Ceremony or State Dinner at the White House, the Chief Usher coordinates activities with the White House Social Secretary in the East Wing, and the Chief of Protocol of the United States, an official within the United States Department of State.
In coordinating the historic preservation of the White House, the Chief Usher works with the White House Office of the Curator, the Committee for the Preservation of the White House, and the White House Historical Association.
The office for the Chief Usher is located on the State Floor, near to the Cross Hall and Entrance Hall beside the entrance to the North Portico. An 1815 floor plan for the White House labels this room as the Ushers Lodge.
The longest serving White House Chief Usher was Irwin "Ike" H. Hoover, who served as Chief Usher for about 25 years of his 42 years in the White House. Gary J. Walters resigned as Chief Usher in January 2007 after serving in the position from 1986 when appointed by President Ronald Reagan. The current and ninth Chief Usher is Angella Reid, a former general manager of the Ritz-Carlton at Pentagon City, VA.
Contents
List of Chief Ushers
No Dates Name 1885 - 1892 Eldon S. Dinsmore[1] 1 1901 - 1909 Thomas E. Stone[2] 2 1909 - 1933 Irwin "Ike" H. Hoover.[3] 3 1933 - 1938 Raymond Muir[4] 4 1938 - 1957 Howell G. Crim 5 1957 - 1969 James B. West 6 1970 - 1985 Rex W. Scouten 7 1986 - 2007 Gary J. Walters 8 2007 - 2011 Stephen W. Rochon 9 2011 - Angella Reid[5] References
- ^ CONFIRMING THE CABINET; PRESIDENT HARRISON'S SECOND DAY IN OFFICE.REGRETS FOR MR. CLEVELAND'S DEPARTURE--CROWDS IN THE AVENUES--WHITE HOUSE CHANGES. The New York Times 6 March 1889
- ^ First Ladies: The Saga of the Presidents' Wives and Their Power, 1789- p 298
- ^ CHANGES AT WHITE HOUSE.; A New Social Secretary--Negro Footmen Replace Policemen. The New York Times 4 March 1909
- ^ THE PRESIDENCY: Roosevelt Week Time 2 October 1933
- ^ Angella Reid, first woman named chief usher at the White House The Washington Post 5 October 2011
Further reading
- Garrett, Wendell. Our Changing White House. Northeastern University Press: 1995. ISBN 1-55553-222-5.
- Seale, William. The President's House. White House Historical Association and the National Geographic Society: 1986. ISBN 0-912308-28-1.
- West, J.B. with Mary Lynn Kotz. Upstairs at the White House: My Life with the First Ladies. Coward, McCann & Geoghegan: 1973. SBN 698-10546-X.
- The White House: An Historic Guide. White House Historical Association and the National Geographic Society: 2001. ISBN 0-912308-79-6.
External links
- White House Historical Association website
- Records of the White House Usher (1953-1961), Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library
Executive Residence BasementBasementBlue Room • Cross Hall • East Room • Entrance Hall • Family Dining Room • Grand Staircase • Green Room • Red Room • South Portico • State Dining Room • Chief UsherCenter Hall • Dressing Room • East Bedroom • East Sitting Hall • Family Kitchen • Lincoln Bedroom • Lincoln Sitting Room • President's Bedroom • President's Dining Room • Private Sitting Room • Queens' Bedroom • Queens' Sitting Room • Treaty Room • Truman Balcony • West Bedroom • West Sitting Hall • Yellow Oval RoomCenter Hall • Diet Kitchen • Linen Room • Music Room • Sun Room • Work-out Room
West Wing Cabinet Room • Executive Office • Oval Office • Press Briefing Room • Roosevelt Room • Situation RoomEast Wing Grounds Streets 15th Street • 17th Street • Constitution Avenue • E Street • East Executive Avenue • H Street NW • Hamilton Place • Jackson Place • Madison Place • Pennsylvania Avenue • State Place • West Executive AvenueAnnex Categories:- White House
- White House Executive Residence Operations
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