White House Historical Association

Manzy H. Swygert

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"Manzy H. Swygert," White House Workers History Project, White House Historical Association, 2026, https://whha.whirlihost.com/Detail/workers/1005.
Position
Butler
Years in President's House
circa 1944
Legal Status
Free Person
Gender
Male
Race/Ethnicity
Black or African American
Presidency
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Biography
Manzy Henry Swygert was born in Irmo, South Carolina on January 17, 1908. (1) In 1940, Swygert worked as a chauffeur in D.C. in the private household of George Morris, a prominent attorney and art collector who owned an historic home in the Kalorama neighborhood. (2) Soon after, he began working as a chauffeur for the U.S. Information Agency (USIA), then a part of the State Department. (3) During the 1940s, it seems that Swygert also worked at the White House, perhaps part-time. He appeared on the 1944 staff roster as a waiter, but little else is known about his work there. (4) Swygert continued to drive for the USIA in the twenty-one years that followed, chauffeuring for the agency directors. He died on November 20, 1962, and was buried at Lincoln Memorial Cemetery in Suitland, Maryland. (5)
(1) Manzy Henry Swygert, U.S., World War II Draft Cards Young Men, 1940-1947, National Archives at St. Louis; St. Louis, Missouri; Wwii Draft Registration Cards For District of Columbia, 10/16/1940-03/31/1947; Record Group: Records of the Selective Service System, 147; Box: 223, Ancestry.com; “Manzy Swygert,” Evening Star (Washington, D.C.), November 21, 1962, pg. 25.
(2) Ibid; Marny Swygert, 1940 United States Federal Census, Year: 1940; Census Place: Washington, District of Columbia, District of Columbia; Roll: m-t0627-00572; Page: 68B; Enumeration District: 1-546, Ancestry.com; Lucas Gillespie, “The Oldest Home in Washington… is from Massachusetts?" Boundary Stones, https://boundarystones.weta.org/2025/03/11/oldest-home-washington-massachusetts.
(3) “Manzy Swygert, Chauffeur for USIA Director,” Evening Star (Washington, D.C.), November 21, 1962, pg. 25.
(4) "Roster of White House Employees, Revised, April 1, 1944," Folder: Investigative Case Files, 1934-1945, Records of the United States Secret Service, 1933-1945, Franklin D. Roosevelt Library, Hyde Park, New York.
(5) “Manzy Swygert, Chauffeur for USIA Director,” Evening Star (Washington, D.C.), November 21, 1962, pg. 25; “Swygert, Manzy H.,” Evening Star (Washington, D.C.), November 23, 1962, pg. 19.
Birthplace
Irmo, South Carolina, USA