Talmage L. Baty
Cite this Page
"Talmage L. Baty," White House Workers History Project, White House Historical Association, 2026, https://whha.whirlihost.com/Detail/workers/1042.
- Position
- Storekeeper
- Years in President's House
- 1945 – 1986
- Legal Status
- Free Person
- Gender
- Male
- Race/Ethnicity
- White
- Biography
- Talmage Lee Baty was born at Camp Meade (now Fort Meade), Maryland on July 8, 1921. (1) Baty’s father, Major Albert C. Baty, served in the U.S. Army and was “protocol officer for all military functions in Washington, including those held at the White House and Arlington National Cemetery.” (2) Following in his father’s footsteps, Talmage Baty served in the Army in Europe during World War II. After leaving the Army, in 1945 he began working at the White House as an assistant storekeeper. (3) Baty helped Head Storekeeper Melvon O. Carter with all of the shopping for the first family, and he eventually became head storekeeper after Carter’s retirement in 1972. (4) As head storekeeper, Baty was responsible for purchasing, inventorying, and storing food and supplies for the first family. He retired from the White House in 1986 after forty-one years on staff. Talmage Baty died on November 16, 1991. (5)
- (1) Talmage Lee Baty, U.S., World War II Draft Cards Young Men, 1940-1947, National Archives at St. Louis; St. Louis, Missouri; WWII Draft Registration Cards For District of Columbia, 10/16/1940-03/31/1947; Record Group: Records of the Selective Service System, 147; Box: 13, Ancestry.com.
(2) “Maj. Albert C. Baty Dies; Rites Monday,” Evening Star (Washington, D.C.), November 19, 1943, pg. 14.
(3) “Talmage Lee Baty,” The Washington Post, November 19, 1991, E05; Talmadge L Baty, U.S., World War II Army Enlistment Records, 1938-1946, National Archives at College Park; College Park, Maryland, USA; Electronic Army Serial Number Merged File, 1938-1946; NAID: 1263923; Record Group Title: Records of the National Archives and Records Administration, 1789-ca. 2007; Record Group: 64; Box Number: 01221; Reel: 122.
(4) “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; Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis Personal Papers. Textual Materials. Letitia Baldrige Files. Christmas: 1961 (2 of 2 folders). JBKOPP-SF037-009. John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum; U.S. Congress House Committee on Appropriations Hearings Vol. 1 (Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1974), 47.
(5) “Talmage Lee Baty,” The Washington Post, November 19, 1991, E05. - Birthplace
- Fort Meade, Maryland, USA