Elizabeth A. Jaffray

Elizabeth Ann Jaffray was born in Ontario, Canada on December 26, 1860; at the time it was a British colony.¹ Census records indicate that she immigrated to the United States in 1889.² After the death of her husband, Jaffray found work as a housekeeper and social secretary in New York. In 1908, an employment agency informed her about an opening as housekeeper to incoming President William Howard Taft and First Lady Helen Taft, and after an interview with Mrs. Taft, she agreed to join their staff.³ 

During her tenure as housekeeper, Jaffray lived upstairs on the Second Floor. Her duties included selecting menus for White House events, managing the domestic staff, shopping for provisions, and balancing the household budget.⁴ She also oversaw key events like the Tafts’ 25th wedding anniversary, the weddings of Woodrow Wilson’s daughters, and State Dinners. While in the role, she experienced the aftermath of President Wilson’s stroke, prohibition’s impact on entertainment, and President Warren G. Harding’s funeral. Noticing that staff members tended to sit and eat together based on their status or positions within the household, Jaffray segregated the dining quarters by race. When staff protested this decision, she threatened dismissal.⁵ 

Jaffray left the White House in 1926 and that year, published her memoir Secrets of the White House about her experience. She returned to Canada in the early 1930s, and died in Toronto on May 2, 1934.⁶ She is buried at St. John's Norway Cemetery and Crematorium.