Michael Connaughton
Cite this Page
"Michael Connaughton," White House Workers History Project, White House Historical Association, 2026, https://whha.whirlihost.com/Detail/workers/332.
- Position
- Grounds Laborer
- Years in President's House
- circa 1855 – 1859
- Legal Status
- Free Person
- Gender
- Male
- Race/Ethnicity
- White
- Biography
- Michael Connaughton worked at the White House as a gardener. He appears on the 1855, 1857, and 1859 registry of federal government employees, listed as a laborer for the public grounds in Washington, D.C., which included the White House Grounds, Lafayette Park, and the Capitol grounds. Connaughton was listed alongside several other laborers who are confirmed to have worked at the White House under head gardener John Watt.1 The registry mentions that Connaughton was born in Ireland and appointed to his laborer position from Pennsylvania, which suggests he lived in that state prior to 1855. Unfortunately, little else is known about Connaughton at this time.
- Register of Officers and Agents, Civil, Military, and Naval, in the Service of the United States, on the Thirtieth September, 1855 (Washington: A.O.P. Nicholson, 1855), 95; Register of Officers and Agents, Civil, Military, and Naval, in the Service of the United States, on the Thirtieth September, 1857 (Washington: A.O.P. Nicholson, 1857), 97; Register of Officers and Agents, Civil, Military, and Naval, in the Service of the United States, on the Thirtieth of September, 1859 (Washington: William A. Harris, 1859), Pg. 98.
- Birthplace
- Ireland
- Unclear from Context
- Related Workers
- David MoranGardens, Grounds, and Flower Shop, circa 1855 – 1861
- John WattGardens, Grounds, and Flower Shop, 1853 – 1861