Caleb G. Forbes was born in North Carolina in 1863.¹ Around 1909, he joined the White House staff as a carpenter– according to newspapers, his work was “highly prized.” In addition to general maintenance and carpentry work, Forbes was a skilled cabinetmaker who left many “specimens of his handiwork” at the White House. Newspaper reports detail some of the projects that White House carpenters undertook during Forbes’ tenure at the White House; for example, they built a wooden home for the Coolidges’ pet raccoon, Rebecca, on the White House Grounds in 1927.²It is likely that Forbes was part of this project. In 1929, Forbes was called in when a group of workmen discovered a mysterious box in the White House basement– it turned out to be several volumes of Theodore Roosevelt’s state papers. He remained on staff until he reached the mandatory government retirement age in 1933.³Charles Forbes died in 1966– just days before his 103rd birthday– and was buried at National Memorial Park in Virginia.⁴

“Caleb Grandy Forbes,” Find a Grave, https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/170028963/caleb-grandy-forbes.
“White House Carpenter Will Retire Tomorrow,” Evening Star, January 19, 1933, pg. 13; “Coolidge Adopts ‘Coon Intended for His Table,” The News-Journal, January 6, 1927, pg. 16.
The newspaper article incorrectly identifies him as “Michael Forbes.” See “1907 Box Opened in White House; Found to be T. R.’s Books,” The News-Herald, June 17, 1929, pg. 1.
“Caleb Grandy Forbes,” Find a Grave, https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/170028963/caleb-grandy-forbes.

Birthplace

North Carolina, USA

National Memorial Park