Talbert E. Dowling

Talbert Elliot Dowling was born in Washington, D.C. on February 2, 1884.¹ He married a woman named Elizabeth Yates and they had four children.² 

Dowling held a variety of roles at the White House. He is first listed in the 1910 Census as a laborer at the White House.³ The following year, he appeared on an organizational chart for President William Howard Taft’s White House as a messenger, earning $840.00 per year. In 1917, he was listed as a clerk at the White House earning $1,200 in the United States Official Register.⁴ His World War I draft card states that he was an assistant doorkeeper.⁵ He is listed again as a clerk earning $1,200 per year in the 1921 Official Register.⁶ 

Following the death of longtime presidential valet Colonel Arthur Brooks in 1926, an Evening Star article reported that Talbert Dowling assumed the role of valet.⁷ Newspaper confirmation follows Dowling in the role until at least November of 1928 when, as valet, he was part of President Calvin Coolidge’s traveling party.⁸ His departure date from the White House remains unclear. 

The 1930 and 1940 Census records him as a messenger for the United States Government. Dowling’s World War II draft card and the 1950 Census states that he worked as a clerk or messenger for the Treasury Department.⁹

Talbert died in December 1982.¹⁰