Sophia O'Brien

One of the presidential households we know the least about is that of Zachary Taylor. Documentation is scarce, as most of his personal papers were lost when Union soldiers occupied his family’s plantation in Louisiana during the Civil War. Furthermore, Taylor’s tenure as president was short, as he died in office less than two years into his term, meaning he produced fewer records to begin with. As a result, only a handful of individuals have been identified as working at the Taylor White House. One of them was Sophia O’Brien. 

Sophia O’Brien was born in Sweden around 1814.¹ Sometime prior to 1850, O’Brien moved to the United States. The census of that year lists her as working at the White House under President Zachary Taylor.² After President Taylor’s death in July 1850, she continued working there, at least temporarily, as did several other domestic staff workers. We know this because in August 1850 President Fillmore compiled a financial document detailing wages owed to White House domestic workers. The list included staff names, as well as their position, salary, and race. O’Brien was recorded among white staff (alongside Ignatius Ruppert, Edward McManus, Thomas Cogan, and two women both named Mary Riley) and identified as a housekeeper earning $10 per month.³ She was the highest paid female staff member and was likely the head housekeeper. 

Little else is known about O’Brien, including how long she remained at the White House. There is no evidence she still worked there under President Franklin Pierce, so she likely departed prior to his Inauguration in 1853. 

Thank you to Michael Cohen and Amy Larrabee Cotz, editors of the Zachary Taylor and Millard Fillmore papers, for providing research assistance with this biography.