White House Historical Association

Isaiah Lancaster

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"Isaiah Lancaster," White House Workers History Project, White House Historical Association, 2026, https://whha.whirlihost.com/Detail/workers/448.
Positions
Messenger
Butler
Years in President's House
1880s
Legal Status
Free Person
Gender
Male
Race/Ethnicity
Black or African American
Presidencies
Rutherford B. Hayes
James A. Garfield
Chester A. Arthur
Grover Cleveland First Term
Biography
Isaiah Lancaster was born around 1842 in Washington, D.C.1 Little is known about his early life; however, the 1880 Census lists him as a messenger to the president.2 He appears to have remained at the White House into the late 1880s, transitioning at some point to work as a waiter, although the exact timing of this change is unclear due to conflicting government records.3 By 1900, he is listed in the census as a laborer for the U.S. government, which may suggest continued White House employment, though this cannot be confirmed.4 Isaiah Lancaster died on February 6, 1911, while employed as a janitor for an unknown employer, and was buried at Columbian Harmony Cemetery in Washington, D.C.5 Burials there were later disinterred during Metro construction and reinterred at National Harmony Memorial Park in Maryland.
  1. Isaiah Lancaster, 1880 United States Federal Census, Washington, District of Columbia, accessed via Ancestry.com, https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/6742/records/35123438.
  2. Isaiah Lancaster, 1880 United States Federal Census, Washington, District of Columbia, accessed via Ancestry.com, https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/6742/records/35123438.
  3. Huntsville Gazette (Huntsville, Alabama), April 10, 1886, 3, https://www.newspapers.com/image/895112188/?match=1&terms="Isaiah"; “The White House Service,” Indianapolis Journal (Indianapolis, Indiana), February 26, 1889, 2, https://www.newspapers.com/image/321608618/?terms=Isaiah&match=1; Isaiah Lancaster, U.S., City Directories, 1822–1995, accessed via Ancestry.com, https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/2469/records/1027592412.
  4. Isiah Lancaster, 1900 United States Federal Census, accessed via Ancestry.com, https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/7602/records/7891146.
  5. Isiah Lancaster, Washington, District of Columbia, U.S., Death Certificates, 1874–1931, accessed via Ancestry.com, https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/62876/records/52753?tid=&pid=&queryId=3e86dbff-aa3d-4fcd-8a32-6b90e272dd0c&_phsrc=fQN418&_phstart=successSource.
Birthplace
Washington, D.C., USA
National Harmony Memorial Park (formerly Columbian Harmony Payne Cemetery)