White House Historical Association

Amelia Howard

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"Amelia Howard," White House Workers History Project, White House Historical Association, 2026, https://whha.whirlihost.com/Detail/workers/650.
Position
Cook
Years in President's House
1910
Legal Status
Free Person
Gender
Female
Race/Ethnicity
White
Presidency
William Howard Taft
Biography
In the spring of 1910, a woman named Amelia Howard or Amelia Anderson replaced Martha Peterson Mulvey as cook at the White House on the recommendation of high society women in the District. Newspapers indicate that she was American.1 She left after only a few months due to ill health and was replaced by Flora Hamilton.2 Other details regarding her life before and after are scarce.3
  1. “Goddess of the Taft Kitchen,” Democrat and Chronicle (Rochester, NY), November 27, 1910, pg. 15; “Cupid Invades Taft’s Kitchen,” Omaha Daily Bee (Nebraska), April 25, 1910, pg. 10.
  2. “Taft Has New Cook,” Washington Post, November 14, 1910, pg. 2.
  3. While there are women named Amelia Howard and Amelia Anderson listed in Washington, D.C. census records, they are listed without occupations, making it difficult to decisively tie them to the White House.
Birthplace
Unclear from Context
Unclear from Context
Related Workers
Martha Peterson Mulvey
Kitchen, Dining Room, Pantry, and Storeroom, 1909 – circa 1933
Flora Hamilton
Kitchen, Dining Room, Pantry, and Storeroom, 1910 – circa 1914