White House Historical Association

Henry Brown

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"Henry Brown," White House Workers History Project, White House Historical Association, 2026, https://whha.whirlihost.com/Detail/workers/382.
Position
Steward
Years in President's House
1865 – 1866
Legal Status
Free Person
Gender
Male
Race/Ethnicity
Black or African American
Presidency
Andrew Johnson
Biography
In late October 1866, newspapers reported that a funeral had been held at the White House for Henry Brown, a longtime servant to Andrew and Eliza Johnson. One article provided this background on his life: “He was an intelligent and valued colored man, who lived in the President’s family in Tennessee, served in the first Tennessee Union cavalry regiment, commanded by Col. Robert Johnson, and came with the President’s family to Washington, where he has lived ever since, occupying the responsible position as assistant steward of the President’s household.”1 Beyond this, details about his life are scarce. It is possible that he was previously enslaved by the Johnsons, as they were slave owners who brought formerly enslaved people like Florence and William Johnson with them to the White House as paid servants. Andrew Johnson did purchase an enslaved child named Henry in 1857 who later worked at the White House, but documents indicate that these are two different men named Henry.2 Newspapers also reported that “Col. Robert Johnson, Private Secretary to the President, and Mrs. Col. Stover, the President’s daughter, accompanied the wife of the deceased in the President’s private carriage. The other carriages, which were numerous, were filled with persons of color.”3 Henry Brown was buried at Columbian Harmony Cemetery, and his coffin was decorated with a wreath of flowers from the White House Conservatory. Burials there were later disinterred during Metro construction, and moved to National Harmony Memorial Park Cemetery in Maryland.4
  1. “Touching Incident-Death of Henry, A Faithful Servant of the President,” Daily Union and American (Nashville, TN), November 1, 1866, 2, https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn85038519/1866-11-01/ed-1/seq-2/.
  2. See “Slaves of Andrew Johnson,” Andrew Johnson National Historic Site, National Park Service, https://www.nps.gov/anjo/learn/historyculture/slaves.htm. According to this site, the enslaved boy named Henry who worked for Johnson at the White House lived until 1890 and used the named Henry Johnson, making it seem like there were two Henrys in Johnson’s employ.
  3. “Funeral of the President’s Colored Servant,” St. Louis Globe-Democrat, October 29, 1866, pg. 1; see also “The Funeral,” Evening Post (Cleveland, OH), October 30, 1866, pg. 2. “Personal,” Springfield Daily Republican (MA), October 30, 1866, pg. 2.
  4. In 1960, the cemetery and remains were relocated to Hyattsville, Maryland, and renamed National Harmony Memorial Park. “Touching Incident-Death of Henry, A Faithful Servant of the President,” Daily Union and American (Nashville, TN), November 1, 1866, 2, https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn85038519/1866-11-01/ed-1/seq-2/.
Birthplace
Unclear From Context
National Harmony Memorial Park (formerly Columbian Harmony Payne Cemetery)
Related Workers
Florence Johnson
Housekeeping and Laundry, 1865 – 1869
William A. Johnson
Valets, Lady's Maids, and First Family Attendants, 1865 – 1869
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