James Germaine
Cite this Page
"James Germaine," White House Workers History Project, White House Historical Association, 2026, https://whha.whirlihost.com/Detail/workers/78.
- Position
- Steward
- Years in President's House
- circa 1794
- Legal Status
- Free Person
- Gender
- Male
- Race/Ethnicity
- Unclear from Context
- Presidency
- George Washington
- Biography
Information about James Germaine’s life outside of the President’s House is currently unknown.
Germaine began working for George Washington at the President’s House in Philadelphia in June 1794. He may have worked as a steward. In Washington’s household account records, Germaine appears frequently, purchasing “sundries” or miscellaneous small items for the household.1 He last appears in household accounts in December 1794, when he likely left Washington's employ.2
- Household records do not state Germaine’s role in the household directly. However, the President’s House in Philadelphia website asserts that Germaine was a steward. In addition, his payment information does not appear in the records. He may have been paid an annual salary and therefore, he is not included in the monthly records. “References to People from the Presidential Household Account Books," The President’s House in Philadelphia, accessed November 3, 2025, https://www.ushistory.org/presidentshouse/history/references.php; “Washington’s Household Account Book, 1793-1797 (Continued)," The Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography, 1906, Vol. 30, No. 2, 185, https://www-jstor-org.mutex.gmu.edu/stable/pdf/20085330.pdf?refreqid=fastly-default:3538ab8a1197726aa250c965b5bf39cd&ab_segments=&initiator=recommender&acceptTC=1.
- “Washington’s Household Account Book, 1793-1797 (continued)," The Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography, Vol. 31, No. 1 (1907), 71, https://www-jstor-org.mutex.gmu.edu/stable/pdf/20085371.pdf?refreqid=fastly-default:3538ab8a1197726aa250c965b5bf39cd&ab_segments=&initiator=recommender&acceptTC=1.
- Birthplace
- Unclear from Context
- Unclear from Context