White House Historical Association

Alexander Fortin

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"Alexander Fortin," White House Workers History Project, White House Historical Association, 2026, https://whha.whirlihost.com/Detail/workers/471.
Position
Cook
Years in President's House
1881 – 1885
Legal Status
Free Person
Gender
Male
Race/Ethnicity
White
Presidencies
Chester A. Arthur
Grover Cleveland First Term
Biography
Alex Fortin was born ca. 1845 in France and immigrated to the United States in 1870.1 Fortin was a professionally trained French chef who began a career in New York City before coming to the White House.2 He began working at the White House, overseeing the White House kitchen during President Chester Arthur’s administration, earning $100 per month.3 During this time, cuisine became a central aspect of diplomatic relations at the White House. To ensure that his administration was well-represented, President Arthur sought out Fortin’s services specifically for elaborate State Dinners and political gatherings.4 The meals and table decorations he assisted in preparing for White House State Dinners became world-renowned.5 Before leaving office, President Arthur highly recommended Fortin to incoming President Grover Cleveland who asked Fortin to retain his position.6 Fortin was constantly busy, having to prepare a meal at a moment’s notice because the Arthur family did not have regular mealtimes. In contrast, President Cleveland set a routine for breakfast to be served each morning at precisely eight o’clock.7 Shortly after taking office in 1885, President Cleveland lost his taste for Fortin’s French cooking, preferring the meals he had grown accustomed to while living in New York (as mayor of Buffalo and later New York governor).8 In May 1885, he relieved Fortin of his post.9 After Fortin’s career at the White House ended, he worked as a cook in New York before moving to Illinois in 1900.10 He died on April 2, 1911 and is buried at Springdale Cemetery and Mausoleum in Illinois.11
  1. “Alex Eugene Fortin,” in 1880 United States Federal Census [New York City, New York, New York] (National Archives and Records Administration, 1880), 444C (roll 874), https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/2597204:6742; “A E Fortin,” in 1910 United States Federal Census [Peoria Ward 3, Peoria, Illinois] (National Archives and Records Administration, 1910), 8B (roll T624_316), https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/5798973:7884; “Alexandre Fortin,” in 1900 United States Federal Census [Meredosia, Morgan, Illinois] (National Archives and Records Administration, 1900), 9 (roll 332), https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/12476273:7602.
  2. “U.S., City Directories, 1822-1995 - Ancestry.Com,” accessed March 17, 2022, https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/74181328:2469?tid=&pid=&queryId=9d99a7c5f1f0a66f652c3881cb1b458c&_phsrc=ump112&_phstart=successSource.
  3. “Arthur’s Regal Retinue,” Wheeling Sunday Register, June 1, 1884, Virginia Chronicle: Digital Newspaper Archive, accessed March 16, 2022, https://virginiachronicle.com/?a=d&d=WSR18840601.1.4&e=-------en-20--1--txt-txIN--------.
  4. "An Historical Look at What It’s like to Cook for the President,” We Are Chefs (blog), November 1, 2018, https://wearechefs.com/the-presidents-plate-the-early-years/. “U.S., City Directories, 1822-1995 - Ancestry.Com,” accessed March 17, 2022, https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/1200928054:2469?tid=&pid=&queryId=9d99a7c5f1f0a66f652c3881cb1b458c&_phsrc=ump112&_phstart=successSource. This source shows that in 1883, Fortin was still living in New York during his employment at the White House; supporting the previously referenced source which stated that he commuted from New York to Washington, D.C.
  5. Adrian Miller, The President’s Kitchen Cabinet: The Story of the African Americans Who Have Fed Our First Families, from the Washingtons to the Obamas (UNC Press Books, 2017), 166.
  6. Emporia Daily News (Emporia, Kansas) March 13, 1885, pg. 2, https://www.newspapers.com/image/221685351/?terms="Fortin" "white house"&match=1  
  7. Emporia Daily News (Emporia, Kansas) March 13, 1885, pg. 2, https://www.newspapers.com/image/221685351/?terms="Fortin" "white house"&match=1. Fortin served breakfast whenever anyone was ready to eat and supper at any time of night.
  8. Charles Lachman, A Secret Life: The Lies and Scandals of President Grover Cleveland (Skyhorse, 2011). These meals featured “pickled herring, Swiss cheese, and a chop.”
  9. Adrian Miller, The President’s Kitchen Cabinet: The Story of the African Americans Who Have Fed Our First Families, from the Washingtons to the Obamas (UNC Press Books, 2017), 166.
  10. “Alexandre Fortin,” in 1900 United States Federal Census [Meredosia, Morgan, Illinois] (National Archives and Records Administration, 1900), 9 (roll 332), https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/12476273:7602.
  11. "Alexander Eugene Fortin," Find a Grave, https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/138024935/alexander-eugene-fortin.
Birthplace
France
Springdale Cemetery and Mausoleum
Related Worker
Howard Williams
Ushers, Stewards, and Doorkeepers, Kitchen, Dining Room, Pantry, and Storeroom, 1882 – 1885