White House Historical Association

Florence J. Marsh

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"Florence J. Marsh," White House Workers History Project, White House Historical Association, 2026, https://whha.whirlihost.com/Detail/workers/608.
Position
Lady's Maid
Years in President's House
circa 1909 – 1911
Legal Status
Free Person
Gender
Female
Race/Ethnicity
White
Presidency
William Howard Taft
Biography
Florence J. Marsh was born in England around 1873. She immigrated to the United States in 1899. However, not much is known about her early life.1 Marsh came to the White House in 1909 as First Lady Helen Taft’s personal maid.2 In this role, Marsh tended to the first lady’s daily needs, such as bathing, sewing, traveling, and more, providing around-the-clock support in whatever capacity Mrs.Taft required.3 Marsh’s time at the White House ended unexpectedly in 1911 when she eloped with George W. Riley, a White House electrician. Newspapers reported that coworkers had suspected a mutual attraction. The marriage, however, came as a surprise to the staff. The newlyweds left immediately for their honeymoon, and Riley informed the White House he would return to his duties. Marsh, however, planned to manage their household instead, leaving the first lady in need of a new maid.4 The 1940 census lists her living in Washington, D.C. with her husband; further details about her life beyond the White House are scarce.5
  1. Ancestry.com, "Florence J. Marsh in the 1910 United States Federal Census," accessed May 14, 2025, https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/7884/records/2758543?_phcmd=u('https://www.ancestry.com/search/?name=Florence+J._Marsh&birth=1873&count=50&location=2&priority=usa&searchMode=advanced&successSource=Search&queryId=68d8d571-ad02-4a6e-9153-d6bc367286b9','successSource').
  2. “Cupid at the White House: Mrs. Taft's Maid and Electrician Are Latest to Marry,” The Washington Post, May 27, 1911, [2] https://www.newspapers.com/image/28820654/?match=1&terms="Florence Marsh".
  3. Jean Carrington, “Confessions of a Lady’s Maid,” San Francisco Chronicle, September 25, 1910, https://www.newspapers.com/image/27399061/?match=1&terms="ladys maids".
  4. “The Vital Spark: The White House Electrician Elopes with Mrs. Taft’s Maid,” The Barre Daily Times, May 27, 1911 [4] https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn91066782/1911-05-27/ed-1/seq-4/.
  5. Ancestry.com, “Florence J. Marsh,” accessed May 14, 2025, https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/person/tree/9774857/person/372570501900/facts.
Birthplace
England
Unclear from Context
Related Worker
George W. Riley
Trades, circa 1908 – 1911