Henry Harris
- Position
- Butler
- Years in President's House
- 1871 – circa 1877
- Legal Status
- Free Person
- Gender
- Male
- Race/Ethnicity
- Black or African American
- Biography
Little is known about Henry Harris prior to being hired at the White House in 1871.1 Harris worked as a waiter at the Executive Mansion, serving the family of President Ulysses S. Grant and their guests. Disbursing Officer William H. Crook recalled in his memoir an incident in which Henry fell while carrying decanters of wine for the president, earning a stern look from Grant. Harris told Crook that “he thought he would go through the floor.”2 Harris remained at the White House through at least some of Rutherford B. Hayes’ presidency, as he appears in a photograph of White House domestic staff from 1877.3 Further information about his life and tenure at the White House is scarce.
Thank you to the Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Library & Museums of Spiegel Grove for providing research assistance with this biography.
- Several individuals named Henry Harris appear as waiters and servants in Washington, D.C. at this time, making it difficult to confirm details regarding his identity. “White House Staff,” PDF provided by the Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Library & Museums, email message to author, August 17, 2023.
- William H. Crook, Through Five Administrations (New York: Harper and Brothers, 1907), 188.
- “White House Staff,” PDF provided by the Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Library & Museums, email message to author, August 17, 2023.
- Birthplace
- Unclear from Context
- Unclear from Context