John P. Muffler Sr.
Cite this Page
"John P. Muffler Sr.," White House Workers History Project, White House Historical Association, 2026, https://whha.whirlihost.com/Detail/workers/755.
- Positions
- Electrician
- Maintenance
- Years in President's House
- 1945 – 1995
- Legal Status
- Free Person
- Gender
- Male
- Race/Ethnicity
- White
- Biography
- John Paul Muffler Sr., better known as Johnny, was born on January 1, 1920, in Weirton, West Virginia. (1) He worked for a West Virginia coal company before serving in the U.S. Navy during World War II. Muffler was on sea duty in Africa and Europe during the war. (2) He first visited the White House during his wartime service; he was part of the U.S. Navy ceremonial guard who took part in an Arrival Ceremony for British Prime Minister Winston Churchill. (3) Little did he know that he would spend most of his career on staff there.
After returning from active duty, Muffler trained as an electrician and married Marie Ellen Tracey. His father-in-law, Richard Tracey, was a longtime chauffeur at the White House, and he helped Muffler secure a position as an electrician there in 1945. (4) Johnny Muffler had many electrical duties including installing lightbulbs, programming VCRs, and improving electrical systems as technology evolved– but his primary duty was balancing, repairing, oiling, and winding dozens of historic clocks throughout the White House. (5) His son, Rick, joined the White House staff as a calligrapher in 1978, and the two ate lunch together in the Electrical Shop most days. (6) By the time he retired in 1995, Johnny Muffler had risen to the position of senior maintenance advisor, overseeing a multitude of projects across the White House complex. (7) Johnny Muffler died on January 12, 1999, and was buried at Gate of Heaven Cemetery in Silver Spring, Maryland. (8) - (1) John Paul Muffler, U.S., World War II Draft Cards Young Men, 1940-1947, National Archives at St. Louis; St. Louis, Missouri; WWII Draft Registration Cards For West Virginia, 10/16/1940-03/31/1947; Record Group: Records of the Selective Service System, 147; Box: 346, Ancestry.com.
(2) Ibid; Young American Patriots: The Youth of West Virginia in World War II (Richmond, VA: National Publishing Company, 1946), 450.
(3) Churchill visited the White House several times during Franklin D. Roosevelt’s presidency; the date of this visit is unclear. Lawrence L. Knutson, “He’s Having a Great Time as White House Clock Man,” Los Angeles Times, December 22, 1996, https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1996-12-22-mn-11620-story.html.
(4) Elyse Werling, “The Man Who Kept the Presidency On Time,” White House History Quarterly 61 (2021), 7-9.
(5) Lawrence L. Knutson, “He’s Having a Great Time as White House Clock Man,” Los Angeles Times, December 22, 1996, https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1996-12-22-mn-11620-story.html. Elyse Werling, “The Man Who Kept the Presidency On Time,” White House History Quarterly 61 (2021), 7-9; “Memorandum to President Harry S. Truman re Salary Increases for White House Employees,” November 1, 1951, White House Files: President's Secretary's Files, Harry S. Truman Library, https://catalog.archives.gov/id/354584155; Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis Personal Papers. Textual Materials. Letitia Baldrige Files. Christmas: 1961 (2 of 2 folders). JBKOPP-SF037-009. John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum.
(6) Elyse Werling, “The Man Who Kept the Presidency On Time,” White House History Quarterly 61 (2021), 7-9.
(7) White House Office of the Curator, e-mail message to author, March 16, 2026.
(8) J P Muffler, U.S., Department of Veterans Affairs BIRLS Death File, 1850-2020, U.S., Department of Veterans Affairs; United States; U.S., Department of Veterans Affairs Birls Death File, 1850-2022; URL: https://www.va.gov/, Ancestry.com; “John P. Muffler Sr,” Find A Grave, https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/61731598/john-p.-muffler. - Birthplace
- Weirton, West Virginia, USA
- Related Workers
- Richard T. TraceyTransportation, 1926 – 1964
- Richard T. MufflerCalligraphers, 1978 – 2011
- Related Association Content
- https://issuu.com/whhapubl/docs/whhq__61_pdf_werling?fr=sZjU3MTc5MDEw