John Shorter

John “Jack” Shorter was an enslaved man who worked as a stable boy at the White House. He was hired out by President Thomas Jefferson for contract labor, a common practice in early Washington, D.C. Shorter’s owner was a man named William Legg from Queen Anne's County on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. An 1803 letter from Jefferson's coachman, Joseph Dougherty, stated that Shorter was left to Legg in a 1799 will, stipulating that Shorter be freed after serving a term of twelve years. This letter also revealed that Legg wanted to sell Shorter to Jefferson for $210.00. However, Jefferson did not buy Shorter and continued to pay between $8.00 and $10.00 a month for Shorter's services for the remainder of his presidency. The money likely went directly to William Legg.¹ Records from Jefferson’s time in the White House include someone named “Jack” employed as a scullion in the kitchens in 1801; there is a possibility Shorter was the same person as “Jack,” but this remains unclear without additional documentation.² 

Shorter continued to work as a stable boy until Jefferson left the White House in March 1809. He traveled to Monticello with the former president through a heavy snowstorm, prompting concern from former White House Steward Étienne Lemaire who wrote, “it is to inform myself of your health, knowing that you had a bad journey due to the snow and the rain, I fear you may have had an accident, or suffered a lot, as you had only Shorter with you, that he might not have been sufficient to give you the necessary help…” Despite these concerns, Jefferson and Shorter made it to Monticello without incident.³ 

Shorter reappears later in President James Madison’s records. If the terms of Shorter’s twelve-year contract were honored, he likely gained his freedom around 1810. On August 23, 1814, Madison wrote to First Lady Dolley Madison from outside the city, the day before the burning of the White House by the British: “I have retained Shorter that I might give you by him some final & certain information.” It appears President Madison may have employed Shorter as a messenger, sending information between the battle at Bladensburg, Maryland and the White House.⁴ 

In February 1819, former White House coachman Dougherty wrote to Madison and provided some details about Shorter’s life after his time in the White House. Dougherty mentioned Shorter’s misfortunes including the breakup of his marriage, to which Madison replied, “I am sorry for the misfortunes of Shorter; but I am not surprized at them. His habits during the latter period of service in my family, which my repeated counsels & warnings did not control, acct for the ruin he has brought on himself.” Madison also enclosed a $20.00 check for Shorter.⁵

It is unknown what happened to Shorter after this exchange of letters.