White House Historical Association

James L. Thomas

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"James L. Thomas," White House Workers History Project, White House Historical Association, 2026, https://whha.whirlihost.com/Detail/workers/396.
Position
Steward
Years in President's House
circa 1868 – 1869
Legal Status
Free Person
Gender
Male
Race/Ethnicity
Black or African American
Presidencies
Andrew Johnson
Ulysses S. Grant
Biography
James L. Thomas was born around 1828 in Washington, D.C.1 Little is known about his early life, but by 1865, he was working as a clerk in the loan branch of the Treasury Department.2 The exact date that Thomas began serving as steward of the White House is unknown; however, it was likely sometime in 1868, as the previous steward, William Slade, died while serving in that role in April 1868.3 Historian William Seale notes that James L. Thomas was President Andrew Johnson’s final steward, which aligns with the timeline of his assuming the position after Slade’s death and serving until the end of Johnson’s presidency in 1869.4 Thomas remained on staff as steward at the beginning of Ulysses S. Grant’s presidency, until Joseph S. C. Taber assumed the steward position in April 1869. Correspondence further indicates that Thomas was reappointed to the Treasury Department as a reward for his “conduct having been uniformly good.”5 Thomas returned to the Treasury Department from 1869 to 1873, serving in various roles, including laborer and assistant messenger.6 After leaving government service, he worked as a caterer and was an active member of the African Methodist Episcopal Church. Thomas died around 1895.7
  1. Andrew Johnson, The Papers of Andrew Johnson, vol. 16, May 1869–July 1875, ed. Paul H. Bergeron (Knoxville: University of Tennessee Press, 1967), 118, https://books.google.co.mz/books?id=JM5fCwpLRWIC&printsec=copyright&hl=pt-PT&source=gbs_pub_info_r#v=onepage&q="James L. Thomas"&f=false.
  2. Register of Officers and Agents, Civil, Military, and Naval, in the Service of the United States (Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1865), 19, https://www.google.com/books/edition/Register_of_Officers_and_Agents_Civil_Mi/RxUZAAAAYAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq="James L. Thomas".
  3. “Decease of Old Citizens,” Daily Morning Chronicle (Washington, D.C.), March 17, 1868, 4, https://www.newspapers.com/image/1044591668/?match=1&terms="William Slade".
  4. William Seale, The President’s House: A History Vol. 1 (Washington, D.C.: White House Historical Association, 1986), 456, https://archive.org/details/presidentshouseh0001seal/page/456/mode/2up?q="Johnson's+Last+Steward".
  5. Simon, John Y., "The Papers of Ulysses S. Grant, Volume 19: July 1, 1868-October 31, 1869" (1991). Volumes of The Papers of Ulysses S. Grant. 21, 412, https://scholarsjunction.msstate.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1020&context=usg-volumes; “The New Steward,” Daily Morning Chronicle (Washington, D.C.), April 13, 1869, 1, https://www.newspapers.com/image/1044578560/?match=1&terms=James L. Thomas.
  6. United States Civil Service Commission, Official Register: Persons in the Civil, Military and Naval Service of the United States, and List of Vessels (Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1869), 41, https://www.google.com/books/edition/Official_Register/CQM3AQAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq="James L. Thomas"; United States Civil Service Commission, Official Register of the United States (Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1871), 39, https://www.google.com/books/edition/Official_Register_of_the_United_States/moEhAAAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq="J. L. Thomas"; Andrew Johnson, The Papers of Andrew Johnson, vol. 16, May 1869–July 1875, ed. Paul H. Bergeron (Knoxville: University of Tennessee Press, 1967), 118, https://books.google.co.mz/books?id=JM5fCwpLRWIC&printsec=copyright&hl=pt-PT&source=gbs_pub_info_r#v=onepage&q="James L. Thomas"&f=false. 
  7. Andrew Johnson, The Papers of Andrew Johnson, vol. 16, May 1869–July 1875, ed. Paul H. Bergeron (Knoxville: University of Tennessee Press, 1967), 118, https://books.google.co.mz/books?id=JM5fCwpLRWIC&printsec=copyright&hl=pt-PT&source=gbs_pub_info_r#v=onepage&q="James L. Thomas"&f=false.
Birthplace
Washington, D.C., USA
Unclear from Context
Related Workers
William Slade
Valets, Lady's Maids, and First Family Attendants, Ushers, Stewards, and Doorkeepers, 1861 – 1868
Joseph S. C. Taber
Ushers, Stewards, and Doorkeepers, 1869