William H. Snow

William H. Snow was born around 1808 in Chesterfield, New Hampshire.¹ Prior to his White House service, Snow operated a hotel in New Hampshire. In 1853, First Lady Jane Pierce, also a New Hampshire native, called on him to serve as White House steward for her husband, President Franklin Pierce. As steward, Snow managed the domestic staff, oversaw the needs of the first family, and maintained White House accounts. His wife, Marcia Snow, also served at the White House as purveyor to the kitchens, assisting with culinary operations and helping coordinate catering and receptions.² 

Snow appears to have remained at the White House through November 1857, likely helping facilitate the presidential transition and train his successor during the early months of President James Buchanan’s administration. In an 1857 receipt book kept by James “Buck” Buchanan Henry, Buchanan’s nephew, Snow was listed as “Steward” or “Steward of the Executive Mansion.” The records also show that W. R. Snow received monthly payments of $100.³ Just a few years later, during the early days of the Civil War, Confederate authorities captured and detained Snow in Manassas, Virginia, describing him as a “dangerous and suspicious person” because of his loyalty to the Union and hostility toward the Confederacy. While Snow was being held in jail, a Confederate soldier remarked, “if Snow don't [sic] melt there, he is frosen [sic] harder than any other lump of Northern ice we ever saw.”⁴ Snow was eventually released. Afterward, he remained in Virginia, operating a lumber and coal business from his farm and selling his products in Georgetown.⁵ William Snow died on March 10, 1885.⁶ He was buried at Oak Hill Cemetery in Washington, D.C.⁷ 

Thank you to James Buchanan’s Wheatland for providing research assistance with this biography.