Peter Downey
Cite this Page
"Peter Downey," White House Workers History Project, White House Historical Association, 2026, https://whha.whirlihost.com/Detail/workers/430.
- Positions
- Grounds Laborer
- Gardener
- Years in President's House
- circa 1869 – 1875
- Legal Status
- Free Person
- Gender
- Male
- Race/Ethnicity
- White
- Presidency
- Ulysses S. Grant
- Biography
- In 1870, a man named Peter Downey was listed in newspapers as a laborer at the White House Conservatory during Ulysses S. Grant’s presidency. In this role, Downey likely propagated and maintained the variety of flowers and plants in the greenhouses, including orchids, roses, ferns, and more.1 According to government registers, Downey worked as a laborer for the Office of Public Buildings, Grounds, and Works between 1869 and 1875; he was likely engaged in White House work throughout this period. These records indicate that he was born in Ireland, but at this time, further information about his life and career is limited.2
- “The White House-The Retinue of a Republican President,” The Greeneville Democrat (Ohio), June 1, 1870, pg. 2. City directories from the period list him as a gardener.
- See 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. William H. Boyd, Boyd’s Directory of the District of Columbia (Washington, D.C., 1873), 167; William H. Boyd, Boyd’s Directory of Washington, Georgetown, and Alexandria (Washington, D.C., 1870), 113.
- Birthplace
- Ireland
- Unclear from Context