White House Historical Association

Thomas V. Burns

Ask a Historian Download as PDF
Cite this Page
"Thomas Burns," White House Workers History Project, White House Historical Association, 2026, https://whha.whirlihost.com/Detail/workers/352.
Position
Doorkeeper
Years in President's House
circa 1857 – 1865
Legal Status
Free Person
Gender
Male
Race/Ethnicity
White
Presidencies
James Buchanan
Abraham Lincoln
Biography
Thomas V. Burns was born around 1824 in Ireland and immigrated to the United States with his family in 1849.1 By 1857, Burns was recorded as an assistant doorkeeper at the White House.2 In this role, he assisted with the flow of visitors to the Executive Mansion, monitored the entrances and hallways, relayed inquiries, and ensured order and security during public receptions.3 He held the position until 1865, when he was reportedly dismissed for unknown reasons and replaced by Alphonso Donn.4 After leaving the White House, Burns was listed as a laborer in the 1870 Census.5 He died on December 18, 1878, and was buried at Mount Olivet Cemetery in Washington, D.C.6
  1. “Thomas V. Byrnes,” Find a Grave,  accessed November 5, 2025, https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/180369505/thomas-v-byrnes?_gl=1*k8zon9*_gcl_au*MTI0NzEwMDA5MS4xNzU3NTI1MzQ3; “Thomas Byrnes,” *New York, U.S., Arriving Passenger and Crew Lists (including Castle Garden and Ellis Island), 1820-1957, via Ancestry, record no. 1023516335, accessed November 5, 2025, https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/7488/records/1023516335.
  2. Official Register of the United States (Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1857), 97, accessed November 5, 2025, https://archive.org/details/https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/7488/records/1023516335officialregister44unit/page/n117/mode/2up?q="Thomas+Burns".
  3. United States Employment Service, Definitions of Titles (Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Labor, Manpower Administration, Bureau of Employment Security, 1965) 216, https://www.google.com/books/edition/Definitions_of_titles/xo-0cqua0zgC?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq="watchman".
  4. Official Register of the United States (Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1859), 98, accessed November 5, 2025, Official Register of the United States (Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1861), 95, accessed November 5, 2025, https://www.google.com/books/edition/Official_Register_of_the_United_States/UoMhAAAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq="Thomas Burns"; Official Register of the United States (Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1863), 118, accessed November 5, 2025, https://www.google.com/books/edition/Official_Register_of_the_United_States/RtM9AQAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq="Thomas Burns"; Doorkeeper at the President’s House,” Evening Star (Washington, D.C.), January 6, 1865, 3, https://www.newspapers.com/image/146125628/?match=1&terms="Thomas Burns".
  5. “Thos Burns,” 1870 United States Federal Census, Ancestry (database), record no. 265385, accessed November 5, 2025, https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/7163/records/265385.
  6. “Died,” Evening Star (Washington, D.C.), December 19, 1878, 3, https://www.newspapers.com/image/145499234/?article=9c59e683-ba67-4f26-8cd6-58d9fb5b317f&terms="Thomas Burns"; Find a Grave, “Thomas V. Byrnes,” memorial no. 180369505, accessed November 5, 2025, https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/180369505/thomas-v-byrnes?_gl=1*k8zon9*_gcl_au*MTI0NzEwMDA5MS4xNzU3NTI1MzQ3.
Birthplace
Ireland
Mount Olivet Cemetery
Related Worker
Alphonso T. Donn
Ushers, Stewards, and Doorkeepers, circa 1864 – 1885