James W. F. Allen
Cite this Page
"James W. F. Allen," White House Workers History Project, White House Historical Association, 2026, https://whha.whirlihost.com/Detail/workers/1203.
- Positions
- Secret Service
- Usher
- Years in President's House
- 1971 – 2004
- Legal Status
- Free Person
- Gender
- Male
- Race/Ethnicity
- White
- Biography
- James W. F. “Skip” Allen was born May 21, 1943. Allen joined the Navy in 1961. (1) Skip began his career at the White House as a member of the U.S. Secret Service around 1971. He then became an usher in 1980. (2) As an usher, he assisted in the day-to-day management of the Residence, overseeing household staff, maintaining the mansion, and preparing for official events like State Dinners. Skip worked closely with Chief Usher Gary Walters and other colleagues to coordinate these events. (3)
Skip Allen’s White House career had many remarkable moments. He designed the State Room dinner table decor; crafted dazzling decorations, including a Monticello colander, and once saved Miss America’s gown with a safety pin. He fondly remembered being served ice cream by President George H. W. Bush and First Lady Barbara Bush, and meeting prominent world figures such as Queen Elizabeth II and the Dalai Lama. (4)
Skip retired from the White House in 2004. (5) During his retirement, he continued interviewing and telling stories of his time in the White House. (6) Skip Allen died on March 9, 2023. (7) - (1) James 'Skip' William Floyd Allen," The Bedford Gazette (Bedford, PA), May 11, 2023, https://www.bedfordgazette.com/obituaries/james-skip-william-floyd-allen/article_18582190-b0d8-54c0-9d7a-e763ff669d43.html.
(2) White House Office of the Curator, e-mail message to author, March 16, 2026.
(3) White House Historical Association, "Ushers and Stewards Since 1800," accessed April 15, 2025, https://www.whitehousehistory.org/ushers-and-stewards-since-1800.
(4) James 'Skip' William Floyd Allen," The Bedford Gazette (Bedford, PA), May 11, 2023, https://www.bedfordgazette.com/obituaries/james-skip-william-floyd-allen/article_18582190-b0d8-54c0-9d7a-e763ff669d43.html;
(5) Kate Andersen Brower, "The Permanent White House Staff Is, Understandably, on Edge About the 2016 Presidential Race," Vanity Fair, April 10, 2016, https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2016/04/white-house-staff-on-edge-2016-presidential-race?srsltid=AfmBOoqkTxPGH20QqwZfzGCzxJPh8u2iMtzcb_xqaInBNYupQkbE6uIA#:~:text=Former%20usher%20Skip%20Allen%2C%20who,Once%2C%20he%20says%2C%20Hillary%20called.
(6) ABC News. "Ronald Reagan in the Nude: Former White House Usher Skip Allen Tells All." April 23, 2015, https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/ronald-reagan-nude-white-house-usher-skip-allen/story?id=30539880#:~:text=Allen%E2%80%99s%20stories%2C%20and%20those%20of,by%20author%20Kate%20Andersen%20Brower.
(7) James 'Skip' William Floyd Allen," The Bedford Gazette (Bedford, PA), May 11, 2023, https://www.bedfordgazette.com/obituaries/james-skip-william-floyd-allen/article_18582190-b0d8-54c0-9d7a-e763ff669d43.html. - Birthplace
- Unclear from Context
- Related Worker
- Gary J. Walters1976 – 2007
- Related Association Content
- https://www.whitehousehistory.org/the-working-white-house-a-working-family