Lena
Cite this Page
"Lena," White House Workers History Project, White House Historical Association, 2026, https://whha.whirlihost.com/Detail/workers/545.
- Position
- Lady’s Maid
- Years in President's House
- circa 1893 – 1897
- Legal Status
- Free Person
- Gender
- Female
- Race/Ethnicity
- Unclear from Context
- Presidency
- Grover Cleveland Second Term
- Biography
- A woman named Lena or Miss Lene served as First Lady Frances Cleveland’s lady’s maid at the White House during President Cleveland’s second term (1893-1897).1 A lady’s maid was one of the most important roles on a first lady’s domestic staff. They oversaw her wardrobe and appearance, which typically included dressing them, preparing and mending clothing and accessories, and styling their hair. They traveled with the presidential party and waited on the first lady as needed.2 Little else is known about Lena’s life, including her full name.
- She may have worked at the White House after President Cleveland married Frances Folsom in 1886 during his first term, but all known references to Lena’s service are between 1893-1897. “Grey Gables Left Behind,” New York Herald, August 31, 1893, pg. 1; “A Modest Retinue: Serve Under Mrs. Cleveland as House Mistress,” The Cincinnati Enquirer, August 18, 1895, pg. 17. Longtime Doorkeeper Thomas Pendel called her “Miss Lene” in his memoir; it is unclear if this is a nickname or a misspelling. Thomas Pendel, Thirty-Six Years in the White House (Applewood Books, 1902), 142.
- Isabella Mary Beeton, The Book of Household Management (London: Cox and Wyman Printers, 1863), 980-987.
- Birthplace
- Unclear from Context
- Unclear from Context