Louis F. Miskavage
Cite this Page
"Louis F. Miskavage," White House Workers History Project, White House Historical Association, 2026, https://whha.whirlihost.com/Detail/workers/1017.
- Position
- Gardener
- Years in President's House
- 1943 – 1949
- Legal Status
- Free Person
- Gender
- Male
- Race/Ethnicity
- White
- Biography
- Louis Francis Miskavage was born on September 10, 1926, in Mahanoy City, Pennsylvania to Lithuanian parents. (1) After graduating from high school in 1943, Miskavage joined the White House staff as a gardener. His brother, Anthony E. Miskavage was a member of the White House Police Force and may have helped him to secure the position. (2) While Louis Miskavage was technically on staff through 1949, he enlisted in the U.S. Army during World War II and served abroad for some of this period (1943-1944 and 1945-1946) with the First Cavalry in Europe. (3) He returned to his position at the White House after the war and continued to care for the gardens and grounds. Upon the outbreak of the Korean War, he enlisted again with the First Cavalry and was deployed to Korea; by then, he had attained the rank of corporal. Louis F. Miskavage was killed in action at Waegwan, South Korea on September 20, 1950. In 1951, his remains returned to the United States and he was buried at St. Joseph’s Lithuanian Church parish cemetery in Mahanoy City with honors. (4)
- (1) Some sources list his date of birth as 1925; this biography uses the date found on his grave. Louis Francis Miskavage, U.S., World War II Draft Cards Young Men, 1940-1947, National Archives at St. Louis; St. Louis, Missouri; WWII Draft Registration Cards For Pennsylvania, 10/16/1940-03/31/1947; Record Group: Records of the Selective Service System, 147; Box: 1738, Ancestry.com; “Louis F. Miskavage,” Find A Grave, https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/98692925/louis-f-miskavage; Louis Mescavage, 1930 United States Federal Census, Year: 1930; Census Place: Mahanoy, Schuylkill, Pennsylvania; Page: 6A; Enumeration District: 0052; FHL microfilm: 2341879, Ancestry.com.
(2) “Cpl. Miskavage’s Body to Reach Mah. City Sunday Morning,” Pottsville Republican (Pottsville, PA), July 26, 1951, pg. 10; "Christmas List for December 25, 1943 for the Men and & Wife & Children Up to 14 Years of Age," 1943, Folder: Christmas Lists; Topical File, 1933-1945, Anna Eleanor Roosevelt Papers, Part 1, 1884-1964, Franklin D. Roosevelt Library, Hyde Park, New York; “White House Employees in Armed Services,” Independent Offices Appropriation Bill for 1945, U.S. House of Representatives (Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1945), 12; “Two Soldiers from this Area Reported Killed in Action,” The Record American (Mahanoy City, PA), October 2, 1950, pg. 1; “Augusta Woman’s Husband Killed in Action,” Kennebec Journal (Augusta, ME), May 22, 1945, pg. 10.
(3) Louis Francis Miskavage, Pennsylvania, U.S., Veteran Compensation Application Files, WWII, 1950-1966, Ancestry.com. Pennsylvania, U.S., Veteran Compensation Application Files, WWII, 1950-1966 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2015; “Cpl. Miskavage’s Body to Reach Mah. City Sunday Morning,” Pottsville Republican (Pottsville, PA), July 26, 1951, pg. 10.
(4) “Body of Korean Hero Enters Mahanoy City Church for Last Rites,” Pottsville Republican (Pottsville, PA), July 31, 1951, pg. 8; “St. Joseph's Cemetery, Mahanoy City, PA,” Lithuanian Genealogy, https://lithuaniangenealogy.org/static_db/PA-cemStJoseph-Mahanoy.php?letter=M. - Birthplace
- Mahanoy City, Pennsylvania, USA