Orville F. Liser

Orville Frances Liser was born on May 28, 1925, in Washington, D.C.¹ In 1943, while working as a soda jerk in D.C., he was drafted into the U.S. Navy and served for the duration of World War II, receiving his discharge in 1946.²

It is unclear when he began working for the White House but he served as a doorman under President Kennedy in 1961.³ As doorman, Liser’s responsibilities included greeting guests and escorting the president and first family around the White House. He continued working at the White House during the Johnson presidency. Fellow doorman Preston Bruce mentions Liser in his memoir, From the Door of the White House. Bruce was on duty at the elevator outside of the president’s bedroom to wait until Lyndon B. Johnson needed it to get downstairs. While waiting, Bruce realized he had to go to the bathroom so he took the elevator downstairs to the restroom. As soon as he left, President Johnson requested the elevator only to find it was gone. Enraged, Johnson called the ushers office which sent Liser to fetch the elevator. As soon as Liser and the elevator arrived, Johnson berated him for not having the elevator ready, even though it was not his job at that particular moment. Afterward, Liser related the story to Bruce and stated Johnson “took the ceiling off!”⁴

By 1977, Liser was still working at the White House under President Gerald Ford and listed as an usher.⁵ Further information about his tenure is unknown at this time. Liser passed away on August 12, 2002 at the age of seventy-seven. He was buried at Maryland National Memorial Park in Laurel, Maryland.⁶