White House Historical Association

Arthur Brooks

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"Arthur Brooks," White House Workers History Project, White House Historical Association, 2026, https://whha.whirlihost.com/Detail/workers/628.
Positions
Custodian
Valet
Years in President's House
1909 – 1926
Legal Status
Free Person
Gender
Male
Race/Ethnicity
Black or African American
Presidencies
William Howard Taft
Woodrow Wilson
Warren G. Harding
Calvin Coolidge
Biography
Arthur Brooks was born in 1861 in Virginia.1 For many years, he served as chief messenger to secretaries of war in Washington, D.C. including then-Secretary of War William Howard Taft. When Taft became president in 1909, he transferred Brooks to the White House to serve as the mansion’s custodian of property.2 There, Brooks oversaw the silver collection and other valuables in the White House– a role that required high levels of trust and responsibility.3 First Lady Helen Taft wrote that “Arthur was the most useful individual I ever knew anything about, combining absolute loyalty with an efficiency and accuracy that were most comforting to his employers.” He also took on some duties associated with a valet, assisting presidents with their daily routine and advising on clothing choices.4 Local Black news outlets wrote “There is no man in this city more respected than Major Arthur Brooks.”5 For twenty-five years, he served as the commanding officer of a battalion of the District of Columbia’s National Guard, retiring with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel — for this reason, many newspapers refer to him by the ranks of “Major” and “Lt. Colonel.” Outside of work, he instructed Black military cadets at D.C. high schools, influencing the lives of countless young men who would go on to serve in World War I and other conflicts.6 Brooks was also president of the Chandelier Club–a social group of African-American White House domestic employees who gathered outside of work.7 In the summer of 1926, Brooks became ill, and President Calvin Coolidge invited him to recuperate at their summer White House in New York.8 When Arthur Brooks died on September 7, 1926, President Coolidge suspended business and closed the executive offices as a sign of respect for Brooks’ longtime service at the White House. Floral tributes came from former President Taft and fellow White House workers, and prominent Black soprano Lillian Evanti sang at the funeral.9 Arthur Brooks was buried in Columbian Harmony Cemetery in Washington, D.C. Burials there were later disinterred during Metro construction, and moved to National Harmony Memorial Park Cemetery in Maryland.10
  1. “Arthur Brooks in the Washington, District of Columbia, U.S., Death Certificates, 1874-1931,” District of Columbia Public Library; Washington, D.C.; Washington, D.C. Deaths, 1874-1945, Ancestry.com.
  2. Helen Herron Taft, Recollections of Full Years (New York: Dodd, Mead, and Co., 1914), 38; 279-280.
  3. H. A. Wiseman, “News of Colored People,” Winston-Salem Journal, September 22, 1926, pg. 21.
  4. Helen Herron Taft, Recollections of Full Years (New York: Dodd, Mead, and Co., 1914), 279-280; “Brooks, Silent, Man Who Drapes Presidents,” Washington Herald, September 28, 1919, pg. 19.
  5. “Major Brooks,” The Washington Bee, January 13, 1912, pg. 4; “National Capital,” The Advocate, September 16, 1909, pg. 6.
  6. “Afro-Americans at the White House,” The Washington Bee, October 12, 1912, pg. 2; “Major Arthur Brooks,” Anacostia Community Museum, https://anacostia.si.edu/collection/archives/object/sova-acma-06-016-ref201; “M Street High School Wins,” The Washington Bee, June 1, 1912, pg. 4; “Major Brooks Resigns,” The Washington Bee, January 28, 1911, pg. 1.
  7. “News Notes in Brief,” The Freeman, February 15, 1913, pg. 1, Chronicling America, https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn82016211/1913-02-15/ed-1/seq-1/.
  8. “Employe of Coolidge Ill at Summer Camp,” The Washington Post, July 12, 1926, pg. 2.
  9. “Brooks Burial Marked with Impressive Rites,” The Washington Post, September 11, 1926, pg. 2; H. A. Wiseman, “News of Colored People,” Winston-Salem Journal, September 22, 1926, pg. 21; Arthur Brooks in the Washington, District of Columbia, U.S., Death Certificates, 1874-1931, District of Columbia Public Library; Washington, D.C.; Washington, D.C. Deaths, 1874-1945, Ancestry.com.
  10. “Military Funeral for Colonel Brooks,” The Afro-American, September 18, 1926, pg. 14; “What Lies Beneath: Documenting the History of Columbian Harmony Cemetery,” Humanities Truck, American University, https://humanitiestruck.com/what-lies-beneath/. In the years following his death, military cadets participated in wreath layings at his gravesite, indicating his long-lasting importance to the D.C. community. “Tribute is Paid to Col. Brooks,” Evening Star, November 12, 1935, pg. 8.
Birthplace
Virginia, USA
National Harmony Memorial Park (formerly Columbian Harmony Payne Cemetery
Related Workers
Monico Lopez Lara
Valets, Lady's Maids, and First Family Attendants, 1909 – 1913
Ellen A. Riley
Housekeeping and Laundry, 1926 – 1929
Talbert E. Dowling
Trades, Ushers, Stewards, and Doorkeepers, Valets, Lady's Maids, and First Family Attendants, circa 1910 – 1929
Related Association Content
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