John S. Johnson
Cite this Page
"John S. Johnson," White House Workers History Project, White House Historical Association, 2026, https://whha.whirlihost.com/Detail/workers/663.
- 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
- Biography
- John S. Johnson was born in Virginia around 1870.1 Because he has a very common name, it is difficult to trace details about his life outside of the White House, as well as the exact years of his White House service and the role he held. He appears on a 1911 organizational chart for President William Howard Taft’s household. Johnson worked under housekeeper Elizabeth A. Jaffray and earned $60.00 per month.2 In his free time, Johnson was a member of the Chandelier Club– a social group of African-American White House domestic employees who gathered outside of work.3 Johnson died on August 2, 1923, and was buried at Columbian Harmony Cemetery. Burials there were later disinterred during Metro construction and moved to National Harmony Memorial Park Cemetery in Maryland.4
- John Johnson is a very common name. It is very difficult to trace the correct individual. Sources cited for this bio are specific to John S. Johnson.
- 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.
(1) John Johnson is a very common name. It is very difficult to trace the correct individual. Sources cited for this bio are specific to John S. Johnson. (2) 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. (3) “The Chandelier Club’s Reception,” The Washington Sun, February 19, 1915, https://www.newspapers.com/image/1043490031/?match=1&terms="chandelier club" white house. (4) “John S. Johnson Washington, District of Columbia, U.S., Columbian Harmony Payne Cemetery, 1901-1959,” Ancestry, accessed May 18, 2026, https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/62796/records/6921?tid=&pid=&queryId=6c11413f-6614-4218-81ae-76a469c15099&_phsrc=OuO1221&_phstart=successSource.- Birthplace
- Virginia, USA
- National Harmony Memorial Park (formerly Columbian Harmony Payne Cemetery)