Unidentified Martin Van Buren Chef 1

Little is known about the chef in President Martin Van Buren’s household. All we know comes from two sources, neither of which mention a name. The first source is a recollection by Jessie Benton Fremont who, as the daughter of a senator, dined at the White House during Van Buren’s presidency. In her memoirs written in 1887, Fremont claimed that “Mr. Van Buren brought over from London a fine chef, and his dinners were as good and delicate as possible.”¹ Fremont recollected this detail several decades after the fact, but her claim is supported by a letter from Van Buren’s son, John, writing from London in April 1839, while his father was in the White House. John informed his father that he will soon return to Washington “with the cook you wrote about he will please you, I am sure.” John further stated that he “advanced him six months wages” and promised him $1,000 a year. John also mentions that the cook “is a young man who has been regularly educated to his profession.” The letter indicates that John and the cook would likely arrive in Washington at the end of May 1839, suggesting the unnamed chef began working at the White House around that time.² 

Thank you to the editors of the Martin Van Buren Papers for providing research assistance with this biography.