Clement E. Conger

Clement Ellis Conger was born in Rockingham, Virginia, on October 15, 1912.¹ He graduated from Strayer College and began his career in Washington, D.C., working as a correspondent for the Chicago Tribune and as an office manager for the U.S. Rubber Company.² 

In the late 1950s, Conger joined the State Department as assistant chief of protocol. One memorable moment in this role occurred in October 1957, when he helped prepare the White House for Queen Elizabeth II’s visit, coordinating with her staff to ensure proper protocol and etiquette.³ He was later promoted to deputy chief of protocol, where he continued organizing visits from foreign dignitaries, including Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev.⁴ In 1961, Conger took on the additional role of curator of the Diplomatic Reception Rooms at the State Department, transforming sterile, modern spaces into elegant showcases of American art and history.⁵ 

His success in building the collection, sparked by a national fundraising campaign, earned him a reputation that led President Richard Nixon to appoint him White House Curator, a role he maintained along with serving as curator of the Diplomatic Reception Rooms.⁶ According to a 1970 article in the Philadelphia Inquirer, Nixon was so impressed by Conger’s collection that he reportedly said he hoped “Clem would do for the White House what he’s done…here.”⁷ As White House Curator, Conger worked closely with First Lady Pat Nixon, whose restoration efforts added more than 600 historic pieces to the Collection, making hers the most significant decorative expansion in White House history. Though often overshadowed by Jacqueline Kennedy’s earlier White House restoration, the Nixon-Conger collaboration helped usher in what the Washington Post later called the Executive Mansion’s “golden age,” restoring historical authenticity and elegance to both public and private spaces. During this time, Conger also led “Project Americana” and, by 1979, acquired more than nineteen million dollars’ worth of American period furniture, paintings, and decorative arts.⁸ 

In 1986, he returned to the State Department full-time to assist with a major renovation of Blair House.⁹ Conger retired in 1992, later consulting for an auction house before relocating to Delray Beach, Florida.¹⁰ He passed away on January 11, 2004, and is buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Los Angeles, California.¹¹