White House Historical Association

Col. Douglas

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"Col. Douglas," White House Workers History Project, White House Historical Association, 2026, https://whha.whirlihost.com/Detail/workers/443.
Position
Usher
Years in President's House
circa 1869
Legal Status
Free Person
Gender
Male
Race/Ethnicity
Unclear from Context
Presidency
Ulysses S. Grant
Biography
In the summer of 1869, newspapers reported that a “Col. Douglas” worked as assistant usher at the White House, earning a salary of $2,500 per year.1 City directories from that year do not list anyone by that name working in a similar position, and further information about this individual is scarce.2
  1. “Radical Economy,” The Stark County Democrat (Canton, OH), June 9, 1869, pg. 2. This salary was quite high for the time– it may have been incorrect, or Douglas may have worked in a different position than listed in the newspaper.
  2. William H. Boyd, Boyd’s Directory of Washington and Georgetown (Washington, D.C., 1869), 221-222.
Birthplace
Unclear from Context
Unclear from Context