William Carr
Cite this Page
"William Carr," White House Workers History Project, White House Historical Association, 2026, https://whha.whirlihost.com/Detail/workers/401.
- Position
- Grounds Laborer
- Years in President's House
- circa 1867 – 1875
- Legal Status
- Free Person
- Gender
- Male
- Race/Ethnicity
- Unclear from Context
- Biography
- In 1870, a man named William Carr was included on a newspaper list of White House staff as a laborer in the White House Conservatory. In this role, Carr likely propagated and maintained the variety of flowers and plants in the greenhouses, including orchids, roses, ferns, and more.1 Carr worked for the Office of Public Buildings, Grounds, and Works from approximately 1867 to1875, which suggests that he was assigned to the White House throughout this period. He may have also worked on the grounds of other government buildings such as the U.S. Capitol.2 However, it is difficult to learn more about his life as several men named William Carr worked as gardeners and laborers in Washington, D.C. at this time, and the Official Register of the United States is inconsistent, sometimes listing Carr’s place of birth as Pennsylvania, Scotland, or Ireland.3
- “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, 1868), 188; Official Register of the United States (Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1870), 216; Official Register of the United States (Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1872), 226; Official Register of the United States (Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1874), 228; Official Register of the United States (Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1876), 271.
- Ibid; William H. Boyd, Boyd’s Directory of the District of Columbia (Washington, D.C., 1873), 116.
- Birthplace
- Unclear from Context
- Unclear from Context