Joseph J. Karitas
Cite this Page
"Joseph J. Karitas," White House Workers History Project, White House Historical Association, 2026, https://whha.whirlihost.com/Detail/workers/1021.
- Position
- Painter
- Years in President's House
- 1945 – circa 1974
- Legal Status
- Free Person
- Gender
- Male
- Race/Ethnicity
- White
- Biography
- Joseph James Karitas was born on July 6, 1901, in Wilburton, Oklahoma. (1) During World War I, Karitas served in the U.S. Navy as a naval aviation mechanic. He spent the rest of his career as a painter and by 1942, he worked for the U.S. government. (2) In 1945, he became a painter at the White House and eventually rose to the position of chief painter. (3) In an oral history interview, Karitas recalled: “The White House is the only place in the Government where you do this type of work. All through the Government it's just plain ordinary painting, but over here [Interviewer: ‘There's room for imagination.”] Yes, and skill in the art of painting to do this particular type of work. It isn't just anybody who can do it.” (4)
According to his obituary, Karitas worked at the White House through the Richard Nixon administration, though his retirement date is unclear. It also noted: “One job Karitas undertook was the construction of the scaffolding used to take the photograph of the White House which is on the back of the $20 bill.” Joseph Karitas died on March 25, 1983, and was buried at Fort Lincoln Cemetery in Brentwood, Maryland. (5) - (1) Joseph James Karitas, U.S., World War II Draft Cards Young Men, 1940-1947, National Archives at St. Louis; St. Louis, Missouri; WWII Draft Registration Cards For New Jersey, 10/16/1940-03/31/1947; Record Group: Records of the Selective Service System, 147; Box: 334, Ancestry.com.
(2) Ibid; Joseph J Karitas, U.S., Department of Veterans Affairs BIRLS Death File, 1850-2020, U.S., Department of Veterans Affairs; United States; U.S., Department of Veterans Affairs Birls Death File, 1850-2022; URL: https://www.va.gov/, Ancestry.com; “Joseph Karitas,” Greenbelt News Review, March 31, 1983, https://greenbeltnewsreview.com/issues/GNR19830331.pdf.
(3) Joseph J. Karitas, recorded interview by Pamela Turnure, June 23, 1964, Page 1, John F. Kennedy Library Oral History Program; Joseph Karitas, 1950 United States Federal Census, National Archives at Washington, DC; Washington, D.C.; Seventeenth Census of the United States, 1950; Year: 1950; Census Place: Prince George's, Maryland; Roll: 5863; Page: 80; Enumeration District: 17-209A, Ancestry.com; “Memorandum to President Harry S. Truman re Salary Increases for White House Employees,” November 1, 1951, White House Files: President's Secretary's Files, Harry S. Truman Library, https://catalog.archives.gov/id/354584155.
(4) Joseph J. Karitas, recorded interview by Pamela Turnure, June 23, 1964, Page 9, John F. Kennedy Library Oral History Program.
(5) “Joseph Karitas,” Greenbelt News Review, March 31, 1983, https://greenbeltnewsreview.com/issues/GNR19830331.pdf. - Birthplace
- Wilburton, Oklahoma, USA