John J. Barry, better known as Jack, was born in Washington, D.C. in 1868 to Irish parents.¹ As a teenager, he began working on the White House Grounds as a waterboy, watering plants and greenspaces; Barry first appears on government registers in 1881 as an employee for the Office of Public Buildings and Grounds.²He later moved into the role of gardener, working on the grounds and in the White House Conservatory under the supervision of Head Gardener Henry Pfister.³ When the conservatories were demolished in 1902 to make room for today’s West Wing, the White House greenhouses moved to the National Mall near the Bureau of Engraving and Printing. There, Barry continued his work, eventually becoming foreman gardener. In addition to his gardening duties, Barry brought Dick, a stray dog found outside the facilities, into the greenhouse and he became an unofficial pet and mascot for the horticulture team.⁴ According to the Washington Post: “Jack Barry was a famous character around the city, as he had served under more Presidents than any of the men now [in the greenhouses] and could recall many an interesting anecdote of the old days when he was just a lad at the potting bench.”⁵ Jack Barry likely worked for the White House through his death on December 13, 1931. He was buried at Mount Olivet Cemetery in Washington D.C.⁶

Census data lists his date of birth as December 1867, while his grave lists 1868. John J Barry in the 1900 United States Federal Census, Year: 1900; Census Place: Washington, Washington, District of Columbia; Roll: 160; Page: 20; Enumeration District: 0042, Ancestry.com; John J Barry in the 1930 United States Federal Census, Year: 1930; Census Place: Washington, , District of Columbia; Page: 7A; Enumeration District: 0313; FHL microfilm: 2340035, Ancestry.com; “John J. Barry,” Find a Grave, https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/96635001/john-j.-barry.
Official Register of the United States, Containing a List of Officers and Employees in the Civil, Military, and Naval Service (Washington DC: Government Printing Office, 1881), pg. 385.
Official Register of the United States, Containing a List of the Officers and Employees in the Civil, Military, and Naval Service Together with a List of Vessels Belonging to the United States (Washington DC: Government Printing Office, 1901), pg. 545.
A. G. West, “President and First Lady Remember Their Friends With Flowers on Eastertide,” Washington Post, March 28, 1937, pg. F5; “Worker Ends 50-Year Period in US Service,” Evening Star (Washington, D.C.), May 14, 1929, pg. 5, Chronicling America, https://www.loc.gov/item/sn83045462/1929-05-14/ed-1/.
A. G. West, “President and First Lady Remember Their Friends With Flowers on Eastertide,” Washington Post, March 28, 1937, pg. F5.
He was still working there in 1930 according to that year’s census, making it likely that he was on staff until his passing the following year. See Employees on Duty at the Executive Office, 1929, Lou Henry Hoover Papers, Subject Files, White House Christmas 1929, Herbert Hoover Presidential Library; John J Barry in the 1930 United States Federal Census, Year: 1930; Census Place: Washington, , District of Columbia; Page: 7A; Enumeration District: 0313; FHL microfilm: 2340035, Ancestry.com; “John J. Barry,” Find a Grave, https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/96635001/john-j.-barry.

Birthplace

Washington, D.C., USA

Mount Olivet Cemetery

Related Worker: Henry Pfister
Gardens, Grounds, and Flower Shop, 1877 – 1902