Richard T. Muffler
Cite this Page
"Richard T. Muffler," White House Workers History Project, White House Historical Association, 2026, https://whha.whirlihost.com/Detail/workers/756.
- Position
- Calligrapher
- Years in President's House
- 1978 – 2011
- Legal Status
- Free Person
- Gender
- Male
- Race/Ethnicity
- White
- Biography
- Richard Thomas Muffler, better known as Rick, was born on May 24, 1959, in Bethesda, Maryland.1 He attended high school in Washington, D.C. and studied typography in college.2 Muffler was a third generation White House employee. His grandfather, Richard T. Tracey, was a chauffeur there from 1926-1964, and his father, Johnny Muffler was an electrician on staff from 1945-1995.3 Muffler first got involved at the White House by volunteering to address envelopes during Jimmy Carter’s presidency, which led him to apprentice with the calligraphy team. They even developed a special pen for Muffler, who was left-handed.4 He officially joined the staff as a calligrapher in 1978.5 As a White House calligrapher, Rick Muffler and his colleagues were responsible for designing and writing countless invitations, menus, place cards, and programs for formal events including State Dinners.6 Muffler retired in 2011. He passed away on February 21, 2020.7
- Richard T Muffler, U.S., Public Records Index, 1950-1993, Volume 1, Ancestry.com. U.S., Public Records Index, 1950-1993, Volume 1 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010; “Richard Thomas Muffler,” Ancestry, https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/person/tree/64987529/person/48133925399/facts.
- “Richard Thomas Muffler,” Ancestry, https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/person/tree/64987529/person/48133925399/facts; “Odd Jobs,” Washington Post, December 10, 2006, pg. W18.
- Elyse Werling, “The Man Who Kept the Presidency On Time,” White House History Quarterly 61 (2021), 7-9.
- “Tour of the White House Calligraphy Office,” C-Span, https://www.c-span.org/program/c-span-specials/tour-of-the-white-house-calligraphy-office/199142.
- “Odd Jobs,” Washington Post, December 10, 2006, pg. W18; Elyse Werling, “The Man Who Kept the Presidency On Time,” White House History Quarterly 61 (2021), 7-9.
- Katie Zezima, “Is the art of handwriting dead? Not in the White House,” Washington Post, July 7, 2014, Blog.
- White House Office of the Curator, e-mail message to author, March 16, 2026; “Richard Thomas Muffler,” Ancestry, https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/person/tree/64987529/person/48133925399/facts.
- Birthplace
- Bethesda, Maryland, USA
- Unclear from Context
- Related Association Content
- https://issuu.com/whhapubl/docs/whhq__61_pdf_werling?fr=sZjU3MTc5MDEw