Victoria D. H. Nesbitt

Victoria Dora "Henrietta" Kugler Nesbitt was born in Duluth, Minnesota, on March 12, 1874.¹ In 1927, Henrietta and her family relocated to Hyde Park, New York.² During this time, Henrietta was active in the League of Women Voters, where she met Eleanor Roosevelt, the wife of then-New York gubernatorial candidate Franklin D. Roosevelt. They grew close through their work in the organization. 

When Roosevelt won the presidency in 1933, Mrs. Roosevelt invited Henrietta and her husband, Henry, to the White House, hiring them as housekeeper and custodian, respectively.³ They served the Roosevelts together until Henry's passing in 1938, after which Henrietta took on both her own responsibilities and those of her late husband.⁴ She managed meal planning, collaborating with the first lady and kitchen staff on menus and guest counts, though she did not cook herself. Additionally, she oversaw dinner service and household upkeep, acquiring new kitchen equipment, such as a thirty-gallon ice cream pack, and ensuring staff properly waxed the oak panels in the State Dining Room.⁵ World War II significantly impacted Henrietta's role. Like all Americans, she strictly adhered to the rationing system, enforcing measures such as meatless meals on certain days, limiting butter use to breakfast, and restricting coffee to one cup per day for all White House guests except foreign visitors.⁶ 

Henrietta retired in 1946 after thirteen years of service, staying on for one year under President Harry S. Truman to help the Trumans adjust following President Roosevelt's unexpected passing.⁷ After leaving the White House, she published two books about her experiences: White House Diary and The Presidential Cookbook: Feeding the Roosevelts and Their Guests.⁸ Henrietta passed away on June 15, 1963, and is buried at Saint James Episcopal Churchyard in Hyde Park, New York.⁹