James Wilkins

James Wilkins was born around 1788 in Virginia. He was enslaved by several individuals over the course of his youth, the last of which was James Young, who owned the Farmer’s Hotel in Fredericksburg. Wilkins operated a barber shop and eventually purchased his freedom from Young in the early 1820s. He also offered his services at the hotel, calling himself a “Professor of Shaving, adept at Hair Cutting, and Connoisseur at Perfuming.”¹ 

In 1831, Wilkins attended the Convention of the People of Color in Philadelphia. This group of free and formerly enslaved people met annually to organize support for abolitionism and greater economic, social, and political rights for African Americans.² Despite his activism, Wilkins also engaged in the slave trade once he was free. In 1834, a newspaper advertisement reveals that an enslaved woman named Charlotte was sold by “James Wilkins, of Fredericksburg, Va., about two months ago” to two men named “Pope and Furguson.”³ Wilkins also purchased enslaved people into freedom, including members of his family. In 1836, he secured the freedom of his daughters, Sarah Ann and Frances; two years later, he did the same for his son John and another female relative, Becky.⁴ 

Wilkins began working at the White House for President John Tyler in 1841. These men likely crossed paths in Fredericksburg whenever Tyler traveled to and from Washington, D.C.⁵ The Colored American, a contemporary Black newspaper, reported in November 1841 that Wilkins was the first Black man to hold the role of chief butler at the President’s House. It also stated that Wilkins earned $1,700 per year, had his own office in the White House, and that both his son and daughter were employed there. While no names were listed, this article may be referencing John and Sarah Ann or Frances Wilkins.⁶ 

Newspapers often refer to Wilkins as the “chief butler” but he was in fact the steward of the White House. In this role, Wilkins would have been the most senior member of the household, overseeing social events, tending to the first family’s needs, and managing the domestic staff. Contemporaries occasionally ridiculed Wilkins and his relationship with President Tyler.⁷ It is unclear if Wilkins’ received this type of treatment because of his race, his relationship with the president, or a combination of both. 

At the end of the Tyler presidency, Wilkins wrote a letter to President-elect James K. Polk, inquiring if Polk would like to retain his services as steward.⁸ The letter, along with a brief recommendation from Tyler, compelled Polk to hire Wilkins.⁹ It is unclear when exactly Wilkins left the White House but it was likely sometime in 1846 when Henry Bowman replaced him as steward. Wilkins left Washington and settled in Philadelphia, where he continued to be a successful businessman and operate a barber shop. James Wilkins died in Philadelphia on April 28, 1858.¹⁰