White House Historical Association

Cecil R. Farley

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"Cecil R. Farley," White House Workers History Project, White House Historical Association, 2026, https://whha.whirlihost.com/Detail/workers/1041.
Position
Engineer
Years in President's House
circa 1950 – 1951
Legal Status
Free Person
Gender
Male
Race/Ethnicity
White
Presidency
Harry S. Truman
Biography
Cecil Ralph Farley was born in Ogden, Utah on September 23, 1894. (1) He worked as a locomotive fireman for the local fire department prior to serving in the U.S. Army during World War I. (2) By 1935, he had relocated to Washington, D.C., where he worked first as a nurse and later as a guard/patrolman for the U.S. government. (3) Cecil Farley began working as an operating engineer at the White House as early as 1950 and earned a salary increase from President Harry S. Truman the following year. (4) Outside of work, Farley was a brother at the Independent Order of Odd Fellows Columbia Lodge #10. Farley died on May 16, 1952, and was buried at Lakeview Cemetery in Hamilton, Virginia. (5)
(1) There are several discrepancies regarding Farley’s date of birth; this biography uses the date on his grave. “Cecil Ralph Farley,” Find a Grave, https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/66768389/cecil-ralph-farley. The 1950 Census lists his place of birth as Iowa, another error. Cecil Farley, 1950 United States Federal Census, National Archives at Washington, DC; Washington, D.C.; Seventeenth Census of the United States, 1950; Year: 1950; Census Place: Washington, Washington, District of Columbia; Roll: 2136; Page: 10; Enumeration District: 1-53, Ancestry.com.
(2) Cecil Ralph Farley, Utah, U.S., Military Records, 1861-1970, Ancestry.com. Utah, U.S., Military Records, 1861-1970 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011; Cecil R Farley, Utah, U.S., World War I Army Servicemen Records Abstracts, 1914-1918, Utah, U.S., World War I Army Servicemen Records Abstracts, 1914-1918 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2021.
(3) Cecil Ralph Farley, Virginia, U.S., Marriage Records, 1936-2014, Virginia Department of Health; Richmond, Virginia; Virginia, Marriages, 1936-2014; Roll: 101167326; Cecil Farley, 1940 United States Federal Census, Year: 1940; Census Place: Gaithersburg, Montgomery, Maryland; Roll: m-t0627-01554; Page: 1A; Enumeration District: 16-31, Cecil Ralph Farley U.S., World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1942, National Archives at St. Louis; St Louis, MO, USA; World War II Draft Cards (Fourth Registration) For the District of Columbia; Record Group Title: Records of the Selective Service System; Record Group Number: 147; Box or Roll Number: 021, Ancestry.com.
(4) Cecil Farley, 1950 United States Federal Census, National Archives at Washington, DC; Washington, D.C.; Seventeenth Census of the United States, 1950; Year: 1950; Census Place: Washington, Washington, District of Columbia; Roll: 2136; Page: 10; Enumeration District: 1-53, 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.
(5) “Farley, Cecil R.,” Evening Star (Washington, D.C.), May 18, 1952, pg. 34; “Cecil Ralph Farley,” Find a Grave, https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/66768389/cecil-ralph-farley; “Farley, Cecil R.,” Times Herald (Washington, D.C.), May 18, 1952, pg. 10.
Birthplace
Ogden, Utah, USA