Clayton Washington
Cite this Page
"Clayton Washington," White House Workers History Project, White House Historical Association, 2026, https://whha.whirlihost.com/Detail/workers/1012.
- Position
- Houseman
- Years in President's House
- circa 1944 – 1946
- Legal Status
- Free Person
- Gender
- Male
- Biography
- Little is known about Clayton Washington outside of his work at the White House. He first appears there on a 1944 staff roster. Washington worked as a houseman. His duties included cleaning and organizing rooms, moving furniture, and keeping both public and private areas tidy. (1) In October 1945, LIFE magazine published several caricature drawings of “people around [President Harry S.] Truman,” including Washington. (2) The last known reference to his work at the White House was in December 1946, when First Lady Bess Truman listed Washington among the housekeeping staff on her annual Christmas list. (3)
- (1) "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.
(2) “Speaking of Pictures…Caricaturist Portrays People Around Truman,” LIFE, October 29, 1945, 12.
(3) White House Staff Christmas Gift List of Bess W. Truman, 1946, Christmas Lists Subject File, Bess W. Truman Papers, Harry S. Truman Library, https://catalog.archives.gov/id/139308529. - Birthplace
- Unclear from Context