Mr. Frank
Cite this Page
"Mr. Frank," White House Workers History Project, White House Historical Association, 2026, https://whha.whirlihost.com/Detail/workers/115.
- Position
- Cook
- Years in President's House
- 1798 – 1800
- Legal Status
- Unclear from Context
- Gender
- Male
- Race/Ethnicity
- Unclear from Context
- Presidency
- John Adams
- Biography
- During John and Abigail Adams’ time at the President’s House in Philadelphia, they employed a series of cooks during their first eighteen months, before finally hiring a cook with the last name Frank. Frank brought his family to live with him at the President’s House, including his wife and children (names unknown). However, Abigail Adams grew tired of so many people living in her home. In March 1800 she wrote, “I shall not encumber myself with Frank & family, nor shall I have more than three or four men servants this Season.”1 Without a first name, additional information about his life cannot be currently determined.
- Lindsay Chervinsky, “The Households of President John Adams,” The White House Historical Association, accessed July 25, 2025, https://www.whitehousehistory.org/the-households-of-john-adams; “Abigail Adams to Mary Smith Cranch, March 22, 1800,” Adams Family Correspondence, volume 14, https://www.masshist.org/publications/adams-papers/index.php/view/ADMS-04-14-02-0099#sn=248.
- Birthplace
- Unclear from Context
- Unclear from Context
- Related Association Content
- https://www.whitehousehistory.org/the-households-of-john-adams