David Edgar Saunders was born on November 23, 1876, in Washington, D.C.¹ He came from a family of horticulturists and followed in their footsteps. His grandfather knew White House Gardener George Hay Brown, who offered Saunders a position with Grover Cleveland’s White House gardening staff in September 1895.² According to Saunders, “my first bit of gardening was being set to work to help glaze the windows in September with the rest of the staff.”³ At the White House, Saunders worked on the gardens and grounds and in the conservatory; after the conservatory was demolished in 1902 to make way for today’s West Wing, he worked at the White House greenhouses on the National Mall near the Bureau of Engraving and Printing.⁴ In 1912, he helped plant the now-famous Japanese cherry trees given to the Tafts, and he also arranged florals and greenery for important events; this included designing the wreaths laid by presidents at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery each year, as well as floral tributes for the funerals of President Warren G. Harding and First Lady Ellen Wilson.⁵Following the retirement of longtime White House Head Gardener Charles Henlock in 1931, the horticultural division was restructured and David E. Saunders became chief of the horticultural section, which put him in charge of the greenhouse complex.⁶ In 1942, the complex was removed during an expansion of the local highway system, and Saunders took over supervision of Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens in their place. He retired from service with the National Capital Parks in 1946 and spent his free time fishing on the Chesapeake Bay.⁷ David E. Saunders passed away on April 26, 1952, and was buried at Rock Creek Cemetery in Washington, D.C.⁸

David Edgar Saunders in the U.S., World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918, Registration State: District of Columbia; Registration County: Washington, Ancestry.com.
“David Saunders Dies, Helped to Plant City’s Famous Cherry Trees,” Evening Star (Washington, D.C.), April 28, 1952, pg. 14; “Saunders, Supervisor of DC Horticultural Beauty, to Retire,” Evening Star (Washington, D.C.), November 28, 1946, pg. 6; “President and First Lady Remember Their Friends With Flowers on Eastertide,” Washington Post, March 28, 1937, pg. F5.
Ibid.
“Saunders, Supervisor of DC Horticultural Beauty, to Retire,” Evening Star (Washington, D.C.), November 28, 1946, pg. 6.
Ibid; “Florist to Nine Presidents Will Retire Saturday,” The Washington Daily News, November 28, 1946, pg. 47; “Seniors in U.S. Service,” Evening Star (Washington, D.C.), November 26, 1943, pg. 27.
“Col. Grant’s Office Shifts Staff Men,” Times Herald (Washington, D.C.), April 2, 1931, pg. 17; “Parks to Take Up Duties of Henlock,” Evening Star (Washington, D.C.), April 1, 1931, pg. 17.
“Florist to Nine Presidents Will Retire Saturday,” The Washington Daily News, November 28, 1946, pg. 47.
“Saunders, David E.,” Evening Star (Washington, D.C.), April 28, 1952, pg. 14; “David Edgar Saunders,” Find a Grave, https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/38367480/sa.

Birthplace

Washington, D.C., USA

Rock Creek Cemetery

Related Workers: Charles Henlock
Gardens, Grounds, and Flower Shop, 1886 – 1931; George H. Brown
Gardens, Grounds, and Flower Shop, 1870 – 1909; Robert G. Kremer
Gardens, Grounds, and Flower Shop, circa 1929 – 1940; Will Sanders
Gardens, Grounds, and Flower Shop, circa 1929 – 1942