White House Historical Association

Wilson Jackson

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"Wilson Jackson," White House Workers History Project, White House Historical Association, 2026, https://whha.whirlihost.com/Detail/workers/598.
Positions
Messenger
Dog Keeper
Years in President's House
1907 – 1927
Legal Status
Free Person
Gender
Male
Race/Ethnicity
Black or African American
Presidencies
Theodore Roosevelt
William Howard Taft
Woodrow Wilson
Warren G. Harding
Calvin Coolidge
Biography
Wilson Jackson, sometimes known as Jack, was born in Virginia in September 1878. Jackson worked in the Census Bureau until Theodore and Edith Roosevelt hired him as a messenger at the White House in 1907.1 He developed a close relationship with the Roosevelt family, so much so that in 1910, he was one of a small group of workers invited to the wedding of Theodore Roosevelt Jr.2 According to Social Secretary Isabella Hagner: “My particular messenger was a colored man, Wilson Jackson, and he and his bicycle went many a mile on errands for all the family as well as for me. He was always good natured and willing, with a broad smile no matter how often he had to go out. It was a frequent sight at midday to see him going off on his wheel, leading “Algonquin,” the pony, to the Force School, to bring back Archie or Quentin [Roosevelt].”3 Indeed, from the earliest days of his service as White House messenger, Jackson also cared for various presidential pets, from the Hardings’ famous pup Laddie Boy to the Coolidges’ pet raccoon Rebecca.4 As a result, he was often called “master of the hounds” at the White House, and could frequently be found walking the dogs and training them to recognize common commands. He also managed the appearances of presidential pups at high-profile events, including garden parties for veterans and the annual White House Easter Egg Roll, as well as the arrival of Thanksgiving turkeys in November.5 Jackson remained in the role of messenger/master of the hounds through September 1927, when the Coolidges transferred him to the Bureau of Engraving and Printing. Maurice Ward replaced him as caretaker of presidential pets; the reason for this decision is unclear.6 Further information about his life is scarce.
  1. According to his World War I Registration Card, Jackson didn’t know his exact birth date. See Wilson Jackson in the U.S., World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918, United States, Selective Service System. World War I Selective Service System Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration. M1509, 4,582 rolls. Imaged from Family History Library microfilm, Ancestry.com; Wilson Jackson in the 1920 United States Federal Census, Year: 1920; Census Place: Washington, Washington, District of Columbia; Roll: T625_210; Page: 7B; Enumeration District: 181, Ancestry.com; Frederic J. Haskin, “National Pet Keeper,” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, March 17, 1921, pg. 6; Jackson is first listed as a messenger in the 1907 D.C. city directory. See Boyd’s Directory of the District of Columbia (Washington, D.C.: R.L. Polk and Co, 1907), pg. 703.
  2. “A Loyal Lot, He Says,” Evening Star, June 10, 1910, pg. 2.
  3. Isabella Hagner, “Memoirs of Isabella Hagner,” White House Historical Association, https://www.whitehousehistory.org/memoirs-of-isabella-hagner-1901-1905; Kathleen Howard, “The White House Dog Man,” New York Times, June 15, 1924, pg. SM11; “Col. Roosevelt Sees President,” New York Times, April 11, 1917, pg. 1.
  4. “Laddie Boy’s Valet,” The Washington Herald, March 7, 1921, pg. 1; “Coolidge Pets Hit By Economy Regime,” Richmond Record-Herald, September 15, 1927, pg. 5; “Air in Airedale Some Little Air,” Times Herald, June 7, 1915, pg. 2.
  5. “Keeps the Pets of the Presidents,” The Evansville Journal, March 17, 1921, pg. 2; “Laddie Boy Makes Self Indispensable to Administration,” The Pittsburgh Post, February 12, 1923, pg. 3; “President Names Wilson X. Jackson Master of Hounds,” Bridgeport Times and Evening Farmer, November 11, 1921, pg. 11; “White House Fete for Veterans,” The Washington Times Herald, June 4, 1926, pg. 8; “Laddie Boy Acting as Host for the Easter Egg Roll,” White House Historical Association Digital Library, https://library.whitehousehistory.org/fotoweb/archives/5017-Digital-Library/Main Index/Events/1603.tif.info; “White House Turkey, Sent by Plane, Wears Helmet and Goggles,” Evening Star, November 22, 1921, pg. 17, Chronicling America, https://www.loc.gov/item/sn83045462/1921-11-22/ed-1/.
  6. “Coolidge Pets Hit By Economy Regime,” Richmond Record-Herald, September 15, 1927, pg. 5.
Birthplace
Virginia, USA
Unclear from Context
Related Workers
Maurice Ward
Kitchen, Dining Room, Pantry, and Storeroom, Gardens, Grounds, and Flower Shop, circa 1923 – 1928
Robert R. Robinson
Housekeeping and Laundry, Gardens, Grounds, and Flower Shop, Valets, Lady's Maids, and First Family Attendants, circa 1928 – 1929
Related Association Content
https://www.whitehousehistory.org/memoirs-of-isabella-hagner-1901-1905