White House Historical Association

William W. Brown

Ask a Historian Download as PDF
Cite this Page
"William W. Brown," White House Workers History Project, White House Historical Association, 2026, https://whha.whirlihost.com/Detail/workers/644.
Positions
Footman
Doorkeeper
Years in President's House
1909 – 1920
Legal Status
Free Person
Gender
Male
Race/Ethnicity
Black or African American
Presidencies
William Howard Taft
Woodrow Wilson
Biography
William “Bill” W. Brown was born in November 1870 in Maryland.1 He worked as a railroad porter prior to joining William Howard Taft’s White House staff as a doorkeeper in 1909.2 He was stationed at the North Door and was known “to the many diplomats, members of Congress, and other representatives of the Government having business at the White House.”3 In the 1920 Federal Census, Brown was listed as a White House footman.4 Outside of work, he was a member of the Chandelier Club, a social organization made up of Black men on the White House domestic staff.5 He was also a member of Elks Columbia Lodge No. 85.6 William W. Brown was still on staff at the White House when he passed away on May 3, 1920.7
  1. William W Brown in the 1900 United States Federal Census, Year: 1900; Census Place: Washington, Washington, District of Columbia; Roll: 160; Page: 2; Enumeration District: 0050, Ancestry.com; William W Brown in the 1910 United States Federal Census, Year: 1910; Census Place: Precinct 8, Washington, District of Columbia; Roll: T624_153; Page: 2b; Enumeration District: 0145; FHL microfilm: 1374166, Ancestry.com.
  2. “Afro-Americans at the White House,” in Cyrus Field Adams, The Republican Party and the Afro-American (Republican National Committee, 1912), pg. 15.
  3. “White House Doorman Succumbs at Hospital,” TImes Herald, May 4, 1920, pg. 10.
  4. William W Brown in the 1920 United States Federal Census, Year: 1920; Census Place: Washington, Washington, District of Columbia; Roll: T625_210; Page: 4B; Enumeration District: 186, Ancestry.com.
  5. “The Chandelier Club’s Reception,” Washington Sun, February 19, 1915, pg. 4.
  6. For more on the Elks Columbia Lodge, see “Elks Columbia Lodge No. 85 1844 Third Street, NW, African American Heritage Trail, Washington DC,” Historical Marker Database, https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=170808; “Brown,” Evening Star, May 5, 1920 on William W. Brown Family Tree, Ancestry, https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/person/tree/176320843/person/152288544483/facts.
  7. Ibid; burial information was not included in his obituary.
Birthplace
Maryland, USA
Unclear from Context