White House Historical Association

George Glorius

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"George Glorius," White House Workers History Project, White House Historical Association, 2026, https://whha.whirlihost.com/Detail/workers/612.
Position
Gardener
Years in President's House
circa 1904 – 1920
Legal Status
Free Person
Gender
Male
Race/Ethnicity
White
Presidencies
Theodore Roosevelt
William Howard Taft
Woodrow Wilson
Biography
George Glorius was born in Washington, D.C. in 1858. He grew up in Washington and worked with his father, also named George, as a florist, helping operate a greenhouse. In 1888, he married a woman named Anna M. Schnopp and had seven children.1 According to his obituary, Glorius worked with the White House greenhouses for sixteen years. Although the White House had a conservatory onsite until 1902, it was demolished to make room for today’s West Wing. These greenhouses moved to the National Mall where Glorius likely worked.2 His obituary does not state which years he worked in the greenhouses. However, closer reading provides a rough timeline. The obituary states: “At an early age he assisted his father in the operation of greenhouses at 4th street and Florida avenue, and upon his father’s retirement from business became connected with the White House.”3 It is unclear exactly when his father retired, but he passed away in 1904, meaning by that time Glorius was likely already working atthe White House.4 He appears in the 1910 Census as a florist working in a greenhouse. In the 1920 Census, his occupation was listed as gardener at the “Excutive [sic] Gardens,” meaning he was likely still working with the White House greenhouses on the National Mall by this time.5 It remains unclear when or if he retired. Glorius died on April 13, 1921, at his home at 316 Florida Avenue NW. He was buried in Saint Mary’s Catholic Cemetery in Washington, D.C.6
  1. “George Glorius Dies,” The Washington Evening Star, April 16, 1921, Accessed on April 1, 2026, https://www.newspapers.com/image/333681984/; “George Glorius in the Washington, District of Columbia, U.S., Marriage Certificates, 1870-1920," Ancestry, https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/62863/records/91930?tid=&pid=&queryId=1a4b6197-dd10-4229-bbad-5a60bcf49ae1&_phsrc=OuO836&_phstart=successSource.
  2. Sarah Fling, “When the White House Had a Greenhouse,” The White House Historical Association, February 10, 2026, https://www.whitehousehistory.org/when-the-white-house-had-a-greenhouse.
  3. “George Glorius Dies,” The Washington Evening Star.
  4. “Leaves Widow Life Interest,” The Washington Evening Star, March 25, 1909, https://www.newspapers.com/image/330877849/?match=1&terms="George Glorius".
  5. “George Glorius in the 1910 United States Federal Census,” Ancestry, accessed April 1, 2026, https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/7884/records/2829997?tid=&pid=&queryId=5bd5d8c1-364e-421b-988a-fed2f38fff87&_phsrc=OuO844&_phstart=successSource; “George Glorius in the 1911 United States Federal Census,” Ancestry, accessed April 1, 2026, https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/6061/records/19853413?tid=&pid=&queryId=25447cb1-5e52-475a-875d-96f55347df6c&_phsrc=OuO846&_phstart=successSource.
  6. “George Glorius Dies,” The Washington Evening Star; “George Glorius,” Find a Grave, accessed April 2, 2026, https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/33568150/george-glorius?_gl=1*156n2po*_gcl_au*Nzg0OTMyOTY1LjE3NzI4MjE1NzA.*_ga*MTc3OTAzNDc2NS4xNzcyODIxNTcz*_ga_4QT8FMEX30*c2NkNjk0MTI4LWM4ZDUtNDJhYi1hNzE3LWY2OWRjODhjMGMwOSRvNSRnMSR0MTc3NTEzODEyMiRqOSRsMCRoMA..*_ga_LMK6K2LSJH*c2NkNjk0MTI4LWM4ZDUtNDJhYi1hNzE3LWY2OWRjODhjMGMwOSRvNSRnMSR0MTc3NTEzODEyMiRqOSRsMCRoMA…. 
Birthplace
Washington, D.C., USA
Saint Mary's Catholic Cemetery