White House Historical Association

Lucy L. Fowler

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"Lucy L. Fowler," White House Workers History Project, White House Historical Association, 2026, https://whha.whirlihost.com/Detail/workers/408.
Position
Cook
Years in President's House
circa 1869 – 1881
Legal Status
Free Person
Gender
Female
Race/Ethnicity
Black or African American
Presidencies
Ulysses S. Grant
Rutherford B. Hayes
James A. Garfield
Biography
Lucy Latimer Fowler was born in the mid-1840s, and according to a 1902 interview, she gained her freedom in 1857 following the death of her enslaver, a member of the Caroline Mackall family in Georgetown.1 In this interview, Fowler told The Washington Times that she worked as a cook for Horace Porter, one of Ulysses S. Grant’s secretaries, before working in President Grant’s White House.2 In November 1876, Lucy was reportedly arrested after President Grant called police officers to break up a physical altercation in the White House Kitchen between Lucy and waiter “John D. Whitcomb” (likely a misidentification of Steward John H. Whitlow).3 After being dismissed from her position in the White House in 1881, Lucy filed a lawsuit for slander against William T. Crump, President James Garfield’s steward. Lucy accused Crump of telling First Lady Lucretia Garfield that she was a thief, an accusation that led to her dismissal from the White House.4 Lucy sued Crump for damages equal to ten thousand dollars.5 Following her time in the White House, according to one newspaper, Lucy rejoined the Grant household; however, there are no known sources that confirm this.6 Lucy died on September 7, 1921, in Washington, D.C.7
  1.  It is likely that Lucy is the Lizzie Compton listed on the emancipation petition filed by Caroline Mackall on April 16, 1862. “Petition of Caroline Mackall, 8 May 1862,” A microfilm reproduction of the original document held at the National Archives and Records Administration, Microcopy 520, Reel 2. The original document is held in the Records of the Accounting Officers of the Department of the Treasury, 1775–1978, National Archives and Records Administration, Record Group 217.6.5. Within the National Archives' Archival Description Catalog, see ARC Identifier 4644616 / MLR Number A1 347 (http://arcweb.archives.gov) https://civilwardc.org/texts/petitions/cww.00110.html Year: 1880; Census Place: Washington, Washington, District of Columbia, District of Columbia; Roll: 122; Page: 308D; Enumeration District: 098. Accessed via Ancestry.com on March 1, 2022, https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/35434366:6742?tid=&pid=&queryId=58355e1e9d1ced74e01bc43a5acf0e5b&_phsrc=KGX301&_phstart=successSource “A Little Yellow Woman Who Served As Cook For Four Presidents,” The Washington Times. (Washington D.C.) May 11, 1902, Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers, Library of Congress.
  2. “A Little Yellow Woman Who Served As Cook For Four Presidents,”  The Washington Times. (Washington D.C.) May 11, 1902, Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers, Library of Congress.
  3. “Brief Chronicle,” The St. Albans Daily Messenger (Saint Albans, Vermont), November 23, 1876, https://www.newspapers.com/image/444528245/?terms=Lucy Fowler cook&match=1
  4. Untitled, The Evening Critic (Washington, D.C.), July 26, 1881, Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers, Library of Congress; Lancaster Daily Intelligencer (Lancaster, PA), December 12, 1881, Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers, Library of Congress. “Suit against Steward Crump,” Evening Star (Washington, D.C.), December 12, 1881, Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers, Library of Congress.
  5. Ibid; The outcome of this case is currently unknown.
  6. “A Little Yellow Woman Who Served As Cook For Four Presidents.”
  7. “Lucy Fowler Lattimore,” Evening Star (Washington, DC), September 9, 1921, 7,  https://www.newspapers.com/image/333786628/?article=dd21b097-bbe5-4238-b1bf-b64b4835460b&terms="Lucy Fowler".
Birthplace
Washington, D.C., USA
Unclear from Context
Related Workers
William T. Crump
Ushers, Stewards, and Doorkeepers, 1879 – 1882
John H. Whitlow
Kitchen, Dining Room, Pantry, and Storeroom, Ushers, Stewards, and Doorkeepers, 1870 – 1877
Related Association Content
https://www.whitehousehistory.org/white-house-gingerbread-holiday-traditions-1