Unidentified William Henry Harrison Porter
Cite this Page
"Unidentified William Henry Harrison Porter," White House Workers History Project, White House Historical Association, 2026, https://whha.whirlihost.com/Detail/workers/246.
- Position
- Porter
- Years in President's House
- circa 1841
- Legal Status
- Unclear from Context
- Gender
- Unclear from Context
- Race/Ethnicity
- Unclear from Context
- Presidency
- William Henry Harrison
- Biography
- One of the presidential households we know the least about is that of William Henry Harrison. Not only is documentation scarce but he also only served as president for one month before passing away on April 4, 1841. As a result, only a handful of individuals have been identified as working at the Harrison White House. During President Harrison’s terminal illness, former president and Massachusetts Representative John Quincy Adams noted: “The porter at the door answers all enquirers that he [Harrison] is better.”1 This unnamed individual may have been part of the group that moved with President Harrison from Ohio to Washington, D.C. as porters were often hired to handle baggage and assist with transportation. However, it is also possible that Adams is referencing Martin Renehan, who served as a doorkeeper and porter at the Executive Mansion from around 1837 to 1848.2
- John Quincy Adams Digital Diary, April 2, 1841, pg. 296, https://www.primarysourcecoop.org/publications/jqa/document/jqadiaries-v41-1841-04-p295--entry2?doci=undefined
- New York Daily Herald, December 9, 1845, pg. 2 https://www.newspapers.com/image/329353637/?terms=Martin Renehan doorkeeper.
- Birthplace
- Unclear from Context
- Unclear from Context