Stewart G. Stout

Stewart Granville Stout Jr. was born on September 1, 1914 in Easton, Pennsylvania.¹ By 1940, Stout worked as a Pennsylvania State Trooper based in Harrisburg.² He served in the U.S. Army during World War II, achieved the rank of Staff Sergeant, and was awarded the Bronze Star.³

Once he left the Army after World War II, Stout worked as an agent for the United States Secret Service and helped guard the presidents and first families.⁴ Stout was on duty in 1950 when gunmen attempted to assassinate President Harry S. Truman outside of the Blair House, where Truman was staying while the White House was under construction. Stout also accompanied President John F. Kennedy to Berlin, Germany in June 1963 and to Dallas, Texas in November 1963, where the president was assassinated.⁵

Sometime after President Kennedy’s assassination, Stout transferred from the Secret Service to the White House Residence Staff as an assistant usher.⁶ In this role, Stout worked under the chief usher to facilitate events and see to the needs of the first family. Stout remained an usher until his death on December 30, 1974.⁷ He was buried in Fairfax Memorial Park in Virginia.⁸ 

Thank you to Geir Gunderson, Archivist at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library and Museum, for providing research assistance with this biography.