William S. Reeves

William Saunders Reeves was born in Washington, D.C. on January 13, 1880.¹ Around 1905, he began working at the White House, tasked with “growing ferns and orchids at the White House greenhouse” near the Bureau of Engraving and Printing.² He remained on staff until 1945, eventually becoming garden foreman and “floral decorations supervisor.”³ His expertise was vast and his duties were many– from eradicating rats, beetles, and other pests from the gardens and grounds, arranging floral centerpieces for royal visits, and shepherding President Woodrow Wilson’s flock of sheep.⁴ Reeves also played an important role in the execution of the annual White House Easter Egg Roll and general maintenance of all outdoor spaces at the White House.⁵ In First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt’s “My Day” column, she praised his work: “There are always visitors in Washington and I am glad for their sakes that the flowers in the White House grounds look particularly lovely. Mr. William Reeves who has had charge of the grounds for many years takes as much trouble over every plant as most of us would over a whole garden. He knows a great deal about the grounds, who planted every tree, what the association is with every bush, and I think can practically remember every flower!”⁶

Reeves retired in March of 1945 after forty years of service at the White House; by that time, he supervised a large team of florists, gardeners, and other professionals. Following his death on May 9, 1946, President Harry S. Truman and First Lady Bess Truman sent “a bouquet of Reeves’ favorite flowers from the White House Gardens” to the funeral. At the service, White House Police formed an honor guard and fellow White House gardeners, including Reeves’ successor, Robert Redmond, served as pall bearers. William Saunders Reeves was buried at Rock Creek Cemetery in Washington, D.C.⁷