White House Historical Association

William A. Johnson

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"William A. Johnson," White House Workers History Project, White House Historical Association, 2026, https://whha.whirlihost.com/Detail/workers/378.
Position
Valet
Years in President's House
1865 – 1869
Legal Status
Free Person
Gender
Male
Race/Ethnicity
Black or African American
Presidency
Andrew Johnson
Biography
William Andrew Johnson was born into slavery in the household of Andrew and Eliza Johnson in Greeneville, Tennessee in 1858. His mother, Dolly, was also enslaved by the Johnsons; Andrew Johnson’s son, Robert, is listed as his father on William’s death certificate.1 He also had two sisters, Liz and Florence. According to tradition, Andrew Johnson freed his enslaved servants on August 8, 1863.2 When Andrew Johnson became president following the assassination of Abraham Lincoln in April 1865, he brought William and Florence to the White House to serve as his valet and maid, respectively, while their mother remained in Tennessee.3 Because William was just a young boy, he took on small tasks such as pressing the president’s suits, shining his shoes, and learning to cook. As an adult, William worked in restaurants and hotels in Knoxville.4 In 1937, after being interviewed by journalist Ernie Pyle, William Johnson gained national recognition as the last surviving individual to be formerly enslaved by an American president. As a result, he was invited to the White House to meet President Franklin D. Roosevelt, where the president gifted Johnson a silver-headed, engraved cane.5 William Andrew Johnson died on May 16, 1943, and was buried at Freedmen's Mission Historic Cemetery in Knoxville, Tennessee.6
  1. “William A Johnson,” Tennessee Death Records, 1908-1958. Nashville, Tennessee: Tennessee State Library and Archives; Sarah Fling, “The Formerly Enslaved Households of President Andrew Johnson,” White House Historical Association, https://www.whitehousehistory.org/the-formerly-enslaved-households-of-president-andrew-johnson.
  2. “Slaves of Andrew Johnson,” Andrew Johnson National Historic Site, National Park Service, https://www.nps.gov/anjo/learn/historyculture/slaves.htm.
  3. Some newspaper articles state that William remained in Greeneville with his mother during Johnson’s presidency, but his own recollections state that he went to Washington with the president. “Johnson’s Servant Tells Anecdotes of His Master,” Newspaper Clipping provided by Andrew Johnson National Historic Site, National Park Service.
  4. “Slave of Andrew Johnson Defies Father Time,” The Journal and Tribune, December 24, 1922.
  5. “Ex-Slave Who Visited the White House in 1937 Dies,” Evening Star, May 17, 1943; “Roosevelt Chats With Ex-Slave Of President Andrew Johnson: Brought to Washington From Knoxville Home; Describes Last Illness of Successor to Lincoln,” The Washington Post, February 18, 1937.
  6. “Negro Once Servant of Johnson Dies,” Knoxville Journal, May 17,1943, pg. 1. “William Andrew Johnson,” Find a Grave, https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/114546824/william-andrew-johnson.
Birthplace
Greeneville, Tennessee, USA
Freedmen's Mission Historic Cemetery
Related Workers
Florence Johnson
Housekeeping and Laundry, 1865 – 1869
Henry Brown
Ushers, Stewards, and Doorkeepers, 1865 – 1866
Henry Johnson
Gardens, Grounds, and Flower Shop, circa 1865 – 1869
Related Association Content
https://www.whitehousehistory.org/the-formerly-enslaved-households-of-president-andrew-johnson