White House Historical Association

Martha Peterson Mulvey

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"Martha Peterson Mulvey," White House Workers History Project, White House Historical Association, 2026, https://whha.whirlihost.com/Detail/workers/631.
Position
Cook
Years in President's House
1909 – circa 1933
Legal Status
Free Person
Gender
Female
Race/Ethnicity
White
Presidencies
William Howard Taft
Woodrow Wilson
Warren G. Harding
Calvin Coolidge
Herbert Hoover
Biography
Martha Peterson was born on July 18, 1868, in Sweden and immigrated to the United States in 1890.1 She worked as a cook for prominent Americans including J. Pierpont Morgan before being hired by Helen Taft to work as head cook at the White House in 1909.2 Newspapers noted that she “presided with grace and efficiency over the pots and pans of the executive mansion,” aptly managing the first lady’s busy social schedule.3 Martha Peterson fell in love while working at the White House, marrying White House Policeman James Mulvey; many newspapers reported on the announcement of their nuptials.4 These sources also incorrectly state that Mulvey resigned from her role that year; instead, it appears that she left the White House at times but remained a presence there through 1933.5 Martha P. Mulvey died on November 3, 1955, and is buried with her husband at Arlington National Cemetery.6
  1. It appears that she became a naturalized citizen sometime between 1910 and 1920. “Mulvey, Martha,” Arlington Cemeteries Explorer, https://ancexplorer.army.mil/publicwmv/index.html#/arlington-national/search/results/1/CgZNdWx2ZXkSBk1hcnRoYQ--/; Martha Peterson in 1910 United States Federal Census, Year: 1910; Census Place: Precinct 3, Washington, District of Columbia; Roll: T624_150; Page: 1a; Enumeration District: 0042; FHL microfilm: 1374163, Ancestry.com. Martha Peterson in 1920 United States Federal Census, Year: 1920; Census Place: Washington, Washington, District of Columbia; Roll: T625_209; Page: 11A; Enumeration District: 244, Ancestry.com.
  2. C. M. Littlejohn, “The Modest Woman Who Rules the White House Kitchen,” National Hotel Review Vol. 1 (1924), 23-30; “Goddess of the Taft Kitchen,” Democrat and Chronicle (Rochester, NY), November 27, 1910, pg. 15.
  3. “Taft Has New Cook,” Washington Post, November 14, 1910, pg. 2.
  4. “Cupid Invades Taft’s Kitchen,” Omaha Daily Bee (Nebraska), April 25, 1910, pg. 10;
  5. “Employees on Duty at the Executive Office,” 1929, Lou Henry Hoover Papers, Subject Files, White House Christmas 1929, Herbert Hoover Presidential Library; “White House Employees,” 1932, Lou Henry Hoover Papers, Subject Files, White House Christmas 1932, Herbert Hoover Presidential Library; “Xmas List 1931,” Lou Henry Hoover Papers, Subject Files, White House Christmas 1931, Herbert Hoover Presidential Library; “Not a Man!” The Republican-Journal, December 23, 1932, pg. 7; C. M. Littlejohn, “The Modest Woman Who Rules the White House Kitchen,” National Hotel Review Vol. 1 (1924), 23-30.
  6. “Mulvey, Martha,” Arlington Cemeteries Explorer, https://ancexplorer.army.mil/publicwmv/index.html#/arlington-national/search/results/1/CgZNdWx2ZXkSBk1hcnRoYQ--/; See also “Martha P. Mulvey Dead; Cooked for 6 Presidents,” Washington Post, November 6, 1955, B2.
Birthplace
Sweden
Arlington National Cemetery
Related Workers
Amelia Howard
Kitchen, Dining Room, Pantry, and Storeroom, 1910
Louise W. Jongbloet
Kitchen, Dining Room, Pantry, and Storeroom, circa 1925 – 1926