Collection The Decatur House Slave Quarters
In 1821-1822, Susan Decatur requested the construction of a service wing. The first floor featured a large kitchen, dining room,...
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White House Worker
How Long? 4 minutes
Eugene Allen attends birthday party for John F. Kennedy Jr. and Caroline Kennedy in 1962.
John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum/NARAEugene Allen served in the White House for 34 years. Assisting eight presidents, Allen’s top priority was to make the White House a comfortable residence for each chief executive and his family.
Allen was born in 1919 on a plantation farm near Scottsville in central Virginia.1
Even though Allen was not searching for new employment, he accepted a job as a pantry man. He washed dishes, stocked cabinets and shined silverware. When Allen accepted this position at the White House, he did not expect to witness some of the most pivotal movements of the twentieth century. Allen observed social changes that would not only transform race relations across the country, but also inside the White House.
Eugene Allen is pictured to the right of this image at a reception hosted by President John F. Kennedy for PT Boat Veterans in 1962.
John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum/NARAAs a butler, Allen frequently served the president and his guests. This made him privy to private conversations and debates regarding African American rights. Allen watched as President Dwight Eisenhower argued with Arkansas Governor Orval Faubus over the Little Rock School desegregation in 1957.5
President Gerald R. Ford and Allen also shared their birthday, July 14. First Lady Betty Ford and President Ford often included Allen in the birthday celebrations. Allen reflected on one of his favorite memories, where First Lady Betty Ford stated at President Ford’s birthday party, “It’s Gene’s birthday too!”10
Allen dutifully served in the White House while also sharing personal bonds with several of the presidents and their families. He visited former President Eisenhower at his home in Gettysburg after his administration.11
President Gerald Ford shaking hands with Eugene Allen before his final departure at the White House on January 20, 1977.
Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library and Museum/NARAWhen Allen retired in 1986, he had served the White House as a pantry man, butler, and maître d’.14
President George W. Bush and First Lady Laura Bush mailed a letter of condolence after Allen’s wife Helene passed away on the eve of the election of President Barack Obama.16
Allen’s life story was published in the Washington Post by journalist Wil Haygood soon after President Obama’s historic election in 2008.17
Allen passed away on March 31, 2010, in Washington, D.C., at the age of 90.
Eugene Allen experienced crucial moments in American history during his time at the White House. The special times he shared with the presidents and their families reveal the daily life at the White House amidst these historic chapters of the United States.18
Eugene Allen serves First Lady Nancy Reagan and guests at a gathering in the Red Room.
Collection of Roland Mesnier/White House PhotoIn 1821-1822, Susan Decatur requested the construction of a service wing. The first floor featured a large kitchen, dining room,...
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