White House Historical Association

William Ballinger

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"William Ballinger," White House Workers History Project, White House Historical Association, 2026, https://whha.whirlihost.com/Detail/workers/457.
Position
Gardener
Years in President's House
1878 – circa 1888
Legal Status
Free Person
Gender
Male
Race/Ethnicity
White
Presidencies
Rutherford B. Hayes
James A. Garfield
Chester A. Arthur
Grover Cleveland First Term
Biography
William Ballinger was born in Fairfax, Virginia.1 Before coming to the White House, he worked as a farmer.2 He worked as a laborer in the White House gardens from 1878 to at least 1888.3 Little else is known about the duration of his service or his life after the White House. Ballinger died on April 21, 1898, and is buried at Rock Creek Cemetery in Washington, D.C.4
  1. “William Ballinger,” Find a Grave Memorial no. 155192431, Find a Grave, https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/155192431/william-ballinger?_gl=1*vevn19*_gcl_aw*R0NMLjE3NzE1MjQ4ODguQ2owS0NRaUFodHZNQmhEQkFSSXNBTDI2cGpIcG1sNHczZTNHZ2p1eUpONGtYSHgtZnVuYzhiLXVUcTNNNk9UeDUwaWFxb0RyeUY0T2VlY2FBb2JuRUFMd193Y0I.*_gcl_dc*R0NMLjE3NzE1MjQ4ODguQ2owS0NRaUFodHZNQmhEQkFSSXNBTDI2cGpIcG1sNHczZTNHZ2p1eUpONGtYSHgtZnVuYzhiLXVUcTNNNk9UeDUwaWFxb0RyeUY0T2VlY2FBb2JuRUFMd193Y0I.*_gcl_au*NzkwNjQ1MTcwLjE3NzQzODQ3Mjg.*_ga*NzczMTUxODY0LjE3NzQzODQ3Mjk.*_ga_LMK6K2LSJH*c2Q2NmIyODAzLTkzMzAtNDU2ZC1iZGY0LTQ3MDlmYzZkMjU0MiRvMjUzJGcxJHQxNzc0NTY2Mjk3JGo0NSRsMCRoMA..*_ga_4QT8FMEX30*c2Q2NmIyODAzLTkzMzAtNDU2ZC1iZGY0LTQ3MDlmYzZkMjU0MiRvMTAkZzEkdDE3NzQ1NjYyOTckajQ1JGwwJGgw.
  2. “Wm Bellinger,” 1870 United States Federal Census, database, Ancestry, https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/7163/records/37584895.
  3. “The Working White House: List of Workers,” White House Historical Association, National Archives and Records Administration, https://www.whitehousehistory.org/photos/the-working-white-house-list-of-workers.  
  4. “William Ballinger,” Find a Grave Memorial no. 155192431, Find a Grave, https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/155192431/william-ballinger?_gl=1*vevn19*_gcl_aw*R0NMLjE3NzE1MjQ4ODguQ2owS0NRaUFodHZNQmhEQkFSSXNBTDI2cGpIcG1sNHczZTNHZ2p1eUpONGtYSHgtZnVuYzhiLXVUcTNNNk9UeDUwaWFxb0RyeUY0T2VlY2FBb2JuRUFMd193Y0I.*_gcl_dc*R0NMLjE3NzE1MjQ4ODguQ2owS0NRaUFodHZNQmhEQkFSSXNBTDI2cGpIcG1sNHczZTNHZ2p1eUpONGtYSHgtZnVuYzhiLXVUcTNNNk9UeDUwaWFxb0RyeUY0T2VlY2FBb2JuRUFMd193Y0I.*_gcl_au*NzkwNjQ1MTcwLjE3NzQzODQ3Mjg.*_ga*NzczMTUxODY0LjE3NzQzODQ3Mjk.*_ga_LMK6K2LSJH*c2Q2NmIyODAzLTkzMzAtNDU2ZC1iZGY0LTQ3MDlmYzZkMjU0MiRvMjUzJGcxJHQxNzc0NTY2Mjk3JGo0NSRsMCRoMA..*_ga_4QT8FMEX30*c2Q2NmIyODAzLTkzMzAtNDU2ZC1iZGY0LTQ3MDlmYzZkMjU0MiRvMTAkZzEkdDE3NzQ1NjYyOTckajQ1JGwwJGgw.
Birthplace
Fairfax, Virginia, USA
Rock Creek Cemetery
Related Association Content
https://www.whitehousehistory.org/photos/the-working-white-house-list-of-workers