Eugene W. James
Cite this Page
"Eugene W. James," White House Workers History Project, White House Historical Association, 2026, https://whha.whirlihost.com/Detail/workers/745.
- Positions
- Butler
- Pantryman
- Years in President's House
- 1924 – 1929
- Legal Status
- Free Person
- Gender
- Male
- Race/Ethnicity
- Black or African American
- Biography
- Eugene W. James was hired as a pantryman at the White House in 1924, which means that he probably assisted with kitchen duties like washing and preparing produce, arranging food for presentation to guests, and serving other White House workers. (1) In 1928, he was listed as second butler in the D.C. city directory, meaning that he worked under the head butler. (2)
James appears on a January 1929 staff list prepared by Housekeeper Ellen A. Riley for incoming First Lady Lou Hoover, but he is not on their staff Christmas list later that year, so he was evidently no longer employed at the White House by then. The reason for his departure is unclear. (3) Further information about his life is scarce at this time. - (1) Ellen A. Riley to Lou Henry Hoover, January 1929, Lou Henry Hoover Papers, Subject Files, Servants and Aides General 1929-1933, Herbert Hoover Presidential Library; Definitions of Titles (Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1965), 514-515.
(2) Boyd’s Directory of the District of Columbia Vol. LXX (Washington, D.C.: R.L. Polk and Co.), 897.
(3) On her staff list, Mrs. Riley wrote Mrs. Hoover: “There is but one person on this list whose conduct does not warrant his being retained. Further details may be obtained from Mr. Jervis” of the Secret Service. It is not clear if this refers to Eugene James or another employee who was not kept on by the Hoovers– there is more than one individual who does not appear on future staff lists. See Employees on Duty at the Executive Office, 1929, Lou Henry Hoover Papers, Subject Files, White House Christmas 1929, Herbert Hoover Presidential Library; Ellen A. Riley to Lou Henry Hoover, January 1929, Lou Henry Hoover Papers, Subject Files, Servants and Aides General 1929-1933, Herbert Hoover Presidential Library. - Birthplace
- Unclear from Context
- Related Worker
- Ellen A. RileyHousekeeping and Laundry, 1926 – 1929