James Coats
Cite this Page
"James Coats," White House Workers History Project, White House Historical Association, 2026, https://whha.whirlihost.com/Detail/workers/658.
- Position
- Unclear from Context Unclear from Context
- Years in President's House
- circa 1911 – 1915
- Legal Status
- Free Person
- Gender
- Male
- Race/Ethnicity
- Black or African American
- Presidency
- William Howard Taft
- Biography
- Information about James Coats’ life outside the White House is unknown at this time.1 Coats appears on an organizational staff chart for President William Howard Taft’s White House. His exact role is unclear. However, he worked under housekeeper Elizabeth A. Jaffray and earned $26.00 per month.2 In his free time, Coats was a member of the Chandelier Club– a social group of African-American White House domestic employees who gathered outside of work. In 1914, he served as the club’s treasurer and in 1915 he served as its vice president.3
- There are numerous individuals named James Coats or James Coates living in Washington making it very difficult to determine information about the correct individual.
- William H. Taft, William H. Taft Papers: Series 6: Executive Office Correspondence (Presidential Series No. 2), 1909-1913; 500K-502A, Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/resource/mss42234.mss42234-396_0020_1132/?sp=1053&r=0.502,0.345,0.377,0.225,0.
- “White House Donation,” The Washington Bee, March 21, 1914, https://www.newspapers.com/image/1041591964/?match=1&terms=James Coats; “The Chandelier Club’s Reception,” The Washington Sun, February 19, 1915, https://www.newspapers.com/image/1043490031/?match=1&terms="chandelier club" white house.
- Birthplace
- Unclear from Context
- Unclear from Context
- Related Workers
- Elizabeth A. JaffrayHousekeeping and Laundry, 1909 – 1926
- Arnold W. DixonKitchen, Dining Room, Pantry, and Storeroom, circa 1911 – 1920
- Related Association Content
- https://www.whitehousehistory.org/the-chandelier-club