White House Historical Association

Bushrod Mickey

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"Bushrod Mickey," White House Workers History Project, White House Historical Association, 2026, https://whha.whirlihost.com/Detail/workers/580.
Positions
Laborer
Messenger
Years in President's House
circa 1917 – 1939
Legal Status
Free Person
Gender
Male
Race/Ethnicity
Black or African American
Presidencies
Woodrow Wilson
Warren G. Harding
Calvin Coolidge
Herbert Hoover
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Biography
Bushrod Mickey was born in Washington, D.C. on March 3, 1899.1 His father Harry L. Mickey worked as a messenger at the White House. As early as 1917, Bushrod also began working there, first as a laborer, and later a messenger.2 In this role, Bushrod Mickey would have delivered confidential and time-sensitive materials between the White House and other locations in Washington, D.C. A 1919 newspaper report provides more insight into his time there: “Bushrod Mickey is ambitious and is studying medicine at Howard University at Washington, D.C. He is employed at the White House nights and attends his studies in the daytime.”3 In July of 1922, newspapers reported that Bushrod was attacked by “an unidentified white man” just outside the White House during a delivery; the media noted that the Secret Service and D.C. police were unable to identify a motive, but reports of “abusive language” during the assault indicate that it may have been racially-motivated.4 In 1925, Bushrod was arrested for allegedly scalping World Series tickets; at first, newspapers reported that he sold tickets allotted to the White House; however, this later proved false.5 The outcome of this incident is unclear, but he later transferred to the Bureau of Engraving and Printing. However, he worked intermittently at the White House up to his death on December 8, 1939. According to his obituary, Bushrod “...was on the White House pay-roll as an extra worker by reason of his services as a waiter at frequent Presidential dinners and banquets.”6 Bushrod Mickey was buried at a family cemetery plot in Trevilians, Virginia; President Franklin D. Roosevelt and First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt sent a wreath for his casket to honor his longtime government service.7
  1. Bushrod James Mickey in the U.S., World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918, Registration State: District of Columbia; Registration County: Washington, Ancestry.com; Bushrod Mickey in the 1920 United States Federal Census, Year: 1920; Census Place: Washington, Washington, District of Columbia; Roll: T625_210; Page: 12A; Enumeration District: 190, Ancestry.com.
  2. Official Register of the United States Vol. 1. (Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1917), 596.
  3. “Wilson Day-Sidelights,” The Morning Oregonian (Portland, Oregon), September 16, 1919, pg. 2.
  4. The article went on to say ““Mickey is said to have had some enemies who envied his position with the president. It has been felt that the Race messengers should be replaced by white boys.” This further suggests a racially-driven motive behind the crime. See “Mystery Attack Upon President Harding’s Aid (sp.),” Chicago Defender, July 29, 1922, pg. 3; “Runner for White House is Attacked,” The Washington Herald (Washington, D.C.), July 21, 1922, pg. 3.
  5. “Colored Messenger at White House is Arrested as Scalper,” Evening Star (Washington, D.C.), October 9, 1925, pg. 1; “Baseball Scalper Did Not Sell White House Tickets,” Baltimore Sun, October 10, 1925, pg. 1.
  6. “F.D.R. Sends Tribute to Employee’s Funeral,” The Afro-American (Baltimore, Maryland), December 16, 1939, pg. 11.
  7. Ibid; “Mickey, Bushrod J. Jr,” Evening Star (Washington, D.C.), December 10, 1939, pg. 16.
Birthplace
Washington, D.C., USA
Family Plot in Trevilians, Virginia, USA
Related Worker
Harry L. Mickey
Kitchen, Dining Room, Pantry, and Storeroom, circa 1897 – 1901, 1910 – 1949