Charles E. Ayler

Charles Everett Ayler was born on July 12, 1873 in Massachusetts.¹ By 1900, he was living in Albany, New York, and working as a waiter in a hotel there.² 

Ayler was hired to work at the White House in 1903 when long-time employee Jerry Smith scaled back his responsibilities due to old age.³ Smith was described as a “factotum” or one who performs a wide variety of tasks, so Ayler was probably assigned a wide range of responsibilities as well. Government records in 1903 listed Ayler as a “laborer” at the White House earning $600 per year but provided no details about the exact jobs he performed.⁴ By 1909 he was promoted to doorkeeper with a salary of $1,200 per year.⁵ As a doorkeeper, Ayler greeted guests, escorted them through the White House, and provided security. It is unclear exactly when Ayler left White House service. The 1910 Census lists him as a messenger for the Treasury Department.⁶ However, a newspaper article in January 1911 mentioned that “Charles E. Ayler has been transferred from the Executive offices to the Bureau of Statistics,” which suggests he was still working at the White House prior to this time.⁷ The Treasury Department is part of the Executive Branch, so Ayler could have been working as a messenger for both offices. 

From 1911 through at least 1913, Ayler worked as a clerk at the Bureau of Labor and Statistics.⁸ In 1924, Ayler published an advertisement in a D.C. newspaper announcing that he was selling “A SUITE of furniture over 20 years in White House.”⁹ Charles Ayler passed away on March 25, 1925 and was buried in Woodlawn Cemetery in Washington, D.C.¹⁰