Allan Morton Thomas was born on October 10, 1883, in Maryland.¹ In 1912, he began working at the White House as an electrician – initially, he was the only electrical expert on staff, but eventually, he rose to the position of chief electrician, managing a team to assist him.² In 1920, when President Woodrow Wilson ordered movie equipment for the White House, newspapers reported “Allan M. Thomas, White House electrician, is a skilled motion picture projectionist and does the operating.”³ Outside of his full-time position at the White House, Thomas worked as a projectionist at Loew’s Palace, the first movie theatre in Washington, D.C., which he continued to do as a hobby after retiring from the White House in 1945. After his retirement, the Washington Post reported that “Presidents Eisenhower, Kennedy, and Johnson gave him photographs with personal notes.” ⁴ He was also an active Freemason. Allan Thomas died on April 9, 1966.⁵

Allan Morton Thomas in the U.S., World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918, Registration State: District of Columbia; Registration County: Washington, Ancestry.com; Allen M Thomas in the 1920 United States Federal Census, Year: 1920; Census Place: Washington, Washington, District of Columbia; Roll: T625_210; Page: 7B; Enumeration District: 158, Ancestry.com; Allin M Thomas in the 1930 United States Federal Census, Year: 1930; Census Place: Washington, District of Columbia, District of Columbia; Page: 2A; Enumeration District: 0327; FHL microfilm: 2340036, Ancestry.com.
“White House Electrician To Retire After 33 Years,” Evening Star, July 5, 1945, pg. 25.
“Films for President,” The Oklahoma News, March 1, 1920, pg. 4.
“Allan Morton Thomas, Ex-Aide at White House,” Washington Post, April 11, 1966, pg. B4; “White House Electrician To Retire After 33 Years,” Evening Star, July 5, 1945, pg. 25; Kent Boese, “Lost Washington: Loew’s Palace Theater,” Greater Greater Washington, https://ggwash.org/view/1666/lost-washington-loews-palace-theater.
“Allan M. Thomas,” Washington Daily News, April 11, 1966, pg. 76. Obituaries do not provide burial information.

Birthplace

Charles County, Maryland, USA

Unclear from Context