White House Historical Association

Edward L. Cushaw

Ask a Historian Download as PDF
Cite this Page
"Edward L. Cushaw," White House Workers History Project, White House Historical Association, 2026, https://whha.whirlihost.com/Detail/workers/397.
Positions
Usher
Messenger
Years in President's House
circa 1867 – 1869
Legal Status
Free Person
Gender
Male
Race/Ethnicity
Unclear from Context
Presidency
Andrew Johnson
Biography
Edward L. Cushaw was born around 1830 in Maryland.1 Little is known about his life prior to government service. In 1865, Cushaw worked as a messenger for the legislative branch.2 By 1867, his employment had shifted to the Interior Department, where he served as a clerk in the General Land Office.3 That same year, Cushaw was reported as an usher to President Andrew Johnson.4 He remained at the White House until 1869, with some sources suggesting that he also served as a messenger. Records indicate that he was to return to the Department of the Interior; beyond this, further information about his career is limited.5 Cushaw died on January 22, 1890, in Maryland.6
  1. “Died,” The Sun (Baltimore, Maryland), January 22, 1890, 2, https://www.newspapers.com/image/372377975/?match=1&terms="Edward Cushaw".
  2. Register of Officers and Agents, Civil, Military, and Naval, in the Service of the United States (Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1865), 304, https://www.google.com/books/edition/Register_of_Officers_and_Agents_Civil_Mi/RxUZAAAAYAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq="Cushaw".
  3. Register of Officers and Agents, Civil, Military, and Naval, in the Service of the United States (Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1867), 144 https://www.google.com/books/edition/Register_of_Officers_and_Agents_Civil_Mi/Boc0AQAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq="Cushaw".
  4. “Communicated,” The National Republican (Washington, D.C.), November 19, 1867, 1, https://www.newspapers.com/image/81175385/?match=1&terms="Cushaw".
  5. The National Republican (Washington, D.C.), March 8, 1869, 1, https://www.newspapers.com/image/81194943/?match=1&terms="Cushaw".
  6. “Died,” The Sun (Baltimore, Maryland), January 22, 1890, 2, https://www.newspapers.com/image/372377975/?match=1&terms="Edward Cushaw".
Birthplace
Maryland, USA
Unclear from Context