Annie Thompson

Little is known about Annie Thompson outside of her service to the Clevelands. In 1891, Grover Cleveland and Frances Cleveland welcomed their first child, Ruth, and they hired Annie Thompson to serve as her nurse. Ruth received much attention from the press and public, which made Annie Thompson’s job more challenging. In a December 1891 letter, Frances Cleveland recalled an incident at a train station in which “One woman pushed up to Annie and demanded to see [Ruth]. Annie told her the baby was not on exhibition. I think I have a treasure in Annie.”¹ 

In 1893, at the start of Cleveland’s second term Annie Thompson accompanied the Clevelands to the White House as their personal nurse, and Annie took care of their children: Ruth, Esther (born in 1893), and Marion (born in 1895).² She cared for their three children; this became increasingly difficult as the public and press clamored for access to the young Clevelands, which eventually led to the closure of the White House Grounds while the family was in residence.³ She is mentioned at the White House through 1895; that year, a new nurse named Jennie Schultz-Lander Nolan joined the household, likely replacing Annie Thompson; further information about her life is limited.⁴