John McNally
Cite this Page
"John McNally," White House Workers History Project, White House Historical Association, 2026, https://whha.whirlihost.com/Detail/workers/376.
- Position
- Grounds Laborer
- Years in President's House
- circa 1863 – 1870
- Legal Status
- Free Person
- Gender
- Male
- Race/Ethnicity
- White
- Biography
- In 1870, a man named John McNally was listed in newspapers as a laborer at the White House Conservatory during Ulysses Grant’s presidency. In this role, McNally likely propagated and maintained the variety of flowers and plants in the greenhouses, including orchids, roses, ferns, and more.1 According to government registers, McNally worked as a laborer for the Office of Public Buildings, Grounds, and Works between 1863 and 1869; he was likely engaged in White House work throughout this period. These records indicate that he was born in Ireland, but further information about his life and career is limited at this time.2
- “The White House-The Retinue of a Republican President,” The Greeneville Democrat (Ohio), June 1, 1870, pg. 2.
- 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), 216.
- Birthplace
- Ireland
- Unclear from Context