Thomas H. Cross

Thomas H. Cross served as a furnace man at the White House, responsible for maintaining the heating system.¹ In 1864, President Abraham Lincoln sent a letter to Provost Marshal General James B. Fry requesting that Cross be exempted from the military draft so he could continue his duties^.2 Additional evidence of Cross’s role and reputation appears in a letter written on March 27, 1865, by John G. Nicolay, President Lincoln’s private secretary. Writing on Executive Mansion stationery, Nicolay described Cross as “a reliable and industrious servant” while recommending that a travel pass be granted to Cross’s nephew, indicating the level of trust placed in him by White House officials.³ Little else is known about his life or subsequent employment. Because two men with the same name worked for the Lincolns, historical records sometimes conflate this Thomas Cross with another employee who served as a doorkeeper and attendant to the Lincoln family.⁴ 

Thank you to the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum for providing research assistance with this biography.