White House Historical Association

William P. Kelly

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"William P. Kelly," White House Workers History Project, White House Historical Association, 2026, https://whha.whirlihost.com/Detail/workers/374.
Position
Doorkeeper
Years in President's House
1862 – 1863
Legal Status
Free Person
Gender
Male
Race/Ethnicity
White
Presidency
Abraham Lincoln
Biography
William P. Kelly was born in Delaware around 1846, though little is known about his early life.1 In several newspaper interviews given many years later, Kelly claimed that he served as a doorkeeper at the Executive Mansion between 1862 and 1863 during the presidency of Abraham Lincoln.2 However, no contemporary records confirm this employment, and Kelly does not appear in the Official Register, District of Columbia city directories, or other known government employment records from the period. A 1918 Evening Star article reported that, after leaving the White House, Kelly worked at the Navy Yard for approximately fifteen years.3 Kelly died on December 2, 1922, and was buried in Oak Hill Cemetery in Washington, D.C.4
  1.  “William P. Kelly,” Washington, District of Columbia, U.S., Death Certificates, 1874–1931, Ancestry.com, https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/62876/records/167854?tid=&pid=&queryId=8f77a933-2f13-4085-b402-01713d073ce5&_phsrc=fQN263&_phstart=successSource.
  2. “W. P. Kelly Recalls Lincoln’s Assassination,” Evening Star (Washington, D.C.), February 12, 1918, 18, https://www.newspapers.com/image/332626293/?match=1&terms="William P. Kelly".
  3. In the decades following Lincoln’s death, many individuals sought to associate their personal histories with the martyred president or with the White House more broadly. Because Kelly’s story appears long after the period he claimed to have served, it may reflect the broader trend of retrospective identification rather than documented employment. “Walked with Lincoln,” Evening Star (Washington, D.C.), April 15, 1915, 12, https://www.newspapers.com/image/332066193/?match=1&terms="William P. Kelly".
  4. “William P. Kelly,” Washington, District of Columbia, U.S., Death Certificates, 1874–1931, Ancestry.com, https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/62876/records/167854?tid=&pid=&queryId=8f77a933-2f13-4085-b402-01713d073ce5&_phsrc=fQN263&_phstart=successSource.
Birthplace
Delaware, USA
Oak Hill Cemetery