White House Historical Association

Walter L. Dunn

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"Walter L. Dunn," White House Workers History Project, White House Historical Association, 2026, https://whha.whirlihost.com/Detail/workers/585.
Positions
Doorkeeper
Messenger
Clerk
Years in President's House
circa 1903 – 1913
Legal Status
Free Person
Gender
Male
Race/Ethnicity
White
Presidency
William Howard Taft
Biography
Walter Louis Dunn was born in Washington, D.C. on September 25, 1880.1 It is likely Dunn began working for President Theodore Roosevelt at the White House in 1903. That year, he was listed in the D.C. city directory as a messenger for the president, earning $900.00 per year.2 At some point between 1905 and1910, Dunn transitioned to the role of doorkeeper, helping coordinate the president’s schedule, managing access to the White House and the Executive Offices, maintaining order, and ushering said visitors into the Executive Mansion. In 1910, he appeared in the city directory under that title. The following year he appeared on an organizational chart of President William Howard Taft’s White House staff as a doorkeeper earning $1,400 per year. He worked alongside W.L. Parker, William M. Pannell, and Charles J. Pusey.3 In 1913, Dunn was listed in the city directory as a clerk at the White House, indicating yet another change in position.4 In 1914, he was transferred to the position of clerk at the Department of the Interior, where he spent the remainder of his career.5 Outside of work, Dunn participated in numerous theatrical productions in Washington, D.C.6 Dunn died on June 10, 1961, and was buried at Mount Olivet Cemetery in Washington, D.C.7
  1. 1. Walter L. Dunn in the U.S. Register of Civil, Military, and Naval Service, 1863-1959,” Ancestry, accessed April 9, 2026, https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/2525/records/740731?tid=&pid=&queryId=7b358637-6199-4b19-83f5-f728f95bb68a&_phsrc=OuO954&_phstart=successSource; “
  2. The previous year, he appeared in Washington’s city directory working in a mess. Walter L. Dunn in the U.S. Register of Civil, Military, and Naval Service, 1863-1959,” Ancestry, accessed April 9, 2026, https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/2525/records/1257530?tid=&pid=&queryId=aca89726-f550-485f-8e77-e7f9cb7da152&_phsrc=OuO956&_phstart=successSource; “Walter L Dunn in the U.S., City Directories, 1822-1995,” Ancestry, accessed April 9, 2026, https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/2469/records/1019256180?tid=&pid=&queryId=81ff3a14-8872-4ce9-95eb-6805e582f97c&_phsrc=OuO958&_phstart=successSource.
  3. The federal register after 1905 appears to remove employees like Dunn. William H. Taft, William H. Taft Papers: Series 6: Executive Office Correspondence (Presidential Series No. 2), 1909-1913; 500K-502A, Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/resource/mss42234.mss42234-396_0020_1132/?sp=1053&r=0.18,0.292,0.454,0.271,0; “Walter L Dunn in the U.S. City Directories, 1822-1995, 1910,” Ancestry, accessed April 4, 2026, https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/2469/records/1029810769?tid=&pid=&queryId=b76b34f1-3c9a-41f3-9ddb-3ee4cf7f59f2&_phsrc=OuO972&_phstart=successSource.
  4. “Walter L Dunn in the U.S., City Directories, 1822-1995, 1913,” Ancestry, Accessed April 9, 2026, https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/2469/records/1030211070?tid=&pid=&queryId=b76b34f1-3c9a-41f3-9ddb-3ee4cf7f59f2&_phsrc=OuO972&_phstart=successSourc; “Walter L Dunn in the U.S., City Directories, 1822-1995, 1932,” Ancestry, Accessed April 9, https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/2469/records/1159252563?tid=&pid=&queryId=b76b34f1-3c9a-41f3-9ddb-3ee4cf7f59f2&_phsrc=OuO972&_phstart=successSource.
  5. “Walter L Dunn in the U.S., City Directories, 1822-1995, 1914,” Ancestry, Accessed April 9, https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/2469/records/1030422252?tid=&pid=&queryId=9f9d2023-4558-49b0-86cd-ae7aeb664f6b&_phsrc=OuO974&_phstart=successSource.
  6. “May Dance and Theatricals,” The Washington Post, May 20, 1905, https://www-proquest-com.mutex.gmu.edu/hnpwashingtonpost/docview/144559014/820DC3366996456FPQ/1?accountid=8285&sourcetype=Newspapersl; “Snow Ball By Amateurs,” The Washington Post, June 18, 1902, https://www-proquest-com.mutex.gmu.edu/hnpwashingtonpost/docview/144311456/820DC3366996456FPQ/2?accountid=8285&sourcetype=Newspapers; “Musical Mention,” The Washington Evening Star, April 5, 1902, https://www.newspapers.com/image/145331624/?match=1&terms=Walter L. Dunn; “She Stoops to Conquer,” The Washington Evening Star, May 21, 1905, https://www.newspapers.com/image/145526991/?match=1&terms=Walter L. Dunn.  
  7. “Obituaries,” The Washington Post, June 12, 1961, https://www-proquest-com.mutex.gmu.edu/hnpwashingtonpost/docview/141495191/820DC3366996456FPQ/6?accountid=8285&sourcetype=Newspapers.
Birthplace
Washington, D.C., USA
Mount Olivet Cemetery
Related Workers
Charles J. Pusey
Ushers, Stewards, and Doorkeepers, 1901 – circa 1931
W. L. Parker
Ushers, Stewards, and Doorkeepers, circa 1902 – 1911
William M. Pannell
Housekeeping and Laundry, Ushers, Stewards, and Doorkeepers, 1909 – circa 1936