White House Historical Association

Ellen K. Charles

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"Ellen K. Charles," White House Workers History Project, White House Historical Association, 2026, https://whha.whirlihost.com/Detail/workers/1044.
Position
Cook
Years in President's House
circa 1950 – 1951
Legal Status
Free Person
Gender
Female
Race/Ethnicity
Black or African American
Presidency
Harry S. Truman
Biography
Ellen K. Charles was born in Virginia around 1899. (1) Little is known about her early life, but according to the 1940 Census, she worked as a junior laborer for the Department of Agriculture. (2) By 1950, she worked as a cook at Blair House. President Harry S. Truman and his family lived there while the White House was under renovation across the street. (3) The following year, she earned a salary increase from the president for her service. (4) Further information about her life is limited.
(1) Ellen K Charles, 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: 5906; Page: 71; Enumeration District: 1-223, Ancestry.com; Ellen Charles, 1940 United States Federal Census, Year: 1940; Census Place: Washington, District of Columbia, District of Columbia; Roll: m-t0627-00556; Page: 63B; Enumeration District: 1-113, Ancestry.com.
(2) Ellen Charles, 1940 United States Federal Census, Year: 1940; Census Place: Washington, District of Columbia, District of Columbia; Roll: m-t0627-00556; Page: 63B; Enumeration District: 1-113, Ancestry.com.
(3) Ellen K Charles, 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: 5906; Page: 71; Enumeration District: 1-223, Ancestry.com.
(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.
Birthplace
Virginia, USA