White House Historical Association

Peter Carroll

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"Peter Carroll," White House Workers History Project, White House Historical Association, 2026, https://whha.whirlihost.com/Detail/workers/375.
Positions
Grounds Laborer
Gardener
Years in President's House
circa 1863 – 1870
Legal Status
Free Person
Gender
Male
Race/Ethnicity
White
Presidencies
Abraham Lincoln
Andrew Johnson
Ulysses S. Grant
Biography
Peter Carroll was born on November 15, 1823, in Ireland.1 At some point, he immigrated to the United States and moved to Washington, D.C.2 Beginning in 1863, Carroll worked as laborer for the Office of Public Buildings, Grounds, and Works, and in 1870, he was included on a list of White House Conservatory staff; this suggests that throughout this period, he was assigned to the Executive Mansion.3 In this role, he likely propagated and maintained the variety of flowers and plants in the greenhouses, including orchids, roses, ferns, and more. 1870 is the last known reference to Carroll’s work at the White House, but his obituary stated: “Carroll “was said to have been an intimate friend of three Presidents, Lincoln, Grant and Garfield.” While this may have been an exaggeration of his relationship, it also suggests he may have worked at the Garfield White House in some capacity. Information about this aspect of his career is limited, but it seems that Carroll continued to work as a gardener and builder in the years that followed his White House tenure. He was also a member of the Oldest Inhabitants Association of the District of Columbia, a historical organization dedicated to preserving Washington’s history.4 Carroll died on April 11, 1905, and was buried at Mount Olivet Cemetery in Washington, D.C.5
  1. There are discrepancies regarding Carroll’s birth year in primary source documentation, but his grave lists 1823. “Peter Carroll,” Find a Grave, https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/172023485/peter-carroll; Peter Carrol in the 1870 United States Federal Census, Year: 1870; Census Place: Washington Ward 1, Washington, District of Columbia; Roll: M593_123; Page: 178B.
  2. “Friend of Presidents,” Evening Star (Washington DC), April 14, 1905, pg. 16.
  3. Official Register of the United States (Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1866), 145; Official Register of the United States (Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1864), 119. Official Register of the United States (Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1868), 188; Official Register of the United States (Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1870), “The White House-The Retinue of a Republican President,” The Greeneville Democrat (Ohio), June 1, 1870, pg. 2.
  4. While newspapers called him a builder and contractor, his death certificate listed his occupation as “gardener.” Peter Carroll in the Washington, District of Columbia, U.S., Death Certificates, 1874-1931, District of Columbia Public Library; Washington, D.C.; Washington, D.C. Deaths, 1874-1945; “Friend of Presidents,” Evening Star (Washington DC), April 14, 1905, pg. 16; “Aged Citizen Dead,” The Washington Post, April 13, 1905, pg. 12; “About Us,” The Association of Oldest Inhabitants of D.C., https://www.aoidc.org/about-us.html.
  5. “Peter Carroll,” Find a Grave, https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/172023485/peter-carroll; Peter Carroll in the Washington, District of Columbia, U.S., Death Certificates, 1874-1931, District of Columbia Public Library; Washington, D.C.; Washington, D.C. Deaths, 1874-1945.
Birthplace
Ireland
Mount Olivet Cemetery