White House Historical Association

Henry W. Crawford

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"Henry W. Crawford," White House Workers History Project, White House Historical Association, 2026, https://whha.whirlihost.com/Detail/workers/789.
Position
Houseman
Years in President's House
circa 1940
Legal Status
Free Person
Gender
Male
Race/Ethnicity
Black or African American
Presidency
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Biography
Henry Wadsworth Crawford was born on December 24, 1918, in Louisa, Virginia. (1) He was a farmer in Virginia as a young man, but by 1940, he had started working as a houseman at the Franklin D. Roosevelt White House. (2) This role entailed cleaning, moving furniture, and assisting with other general household maintenance.The 1940 U.S. Census indicates that he lived with former and current White House staff including Doorman Ebledsoe H. Johnson and Houseman Luther J. Wilkerson in D.C.’s Pleasant Plains neighborhood, demonstrating the close knit relationships among many Residence Staff employees. (3) Crawford's exact years of service are unclear, but by 1942, it seems that he departed from the White House; he is documented working for other government agencies including the Department of the Interior and Department of War in the years that followed. (4) Henry Crawford died in October 1985. (5)
(1) Henry Wadsworth Crawford in the U.S., World War II Draft Cards Young Men, 1940-1947, National Archives at St. Louis; St. Louis, Missouri; WWII Draft Registration Cards For District of Columbia, 10/16/1940-03/31/1947; Record Group: Records of the Selective Service System, 147; Box: 51, Ancestry.com.
(2) Henry Crawford in the Virginia, U.S., Marriage Records, 1936-2014, Virginia Department of Health; Richmond, Virginia; Virginia, Marriages, 1936-2014; Roll: 101167760, Ancestry.com.
(3) Henry Crawford in the 1940 United States Federal Census, Year: 1940; Census Place: Washington, District of Columbia, District of Columbia; Roll: m-t0627-00567; Page: 61A; Enumeration District: 1-426, Ancestry.com.
(4) Henry Wadsworth Crawford in the U.S., World War II Draft Cards Young Men, 1940-1947, National Archives at St. Louis; St. Louis, Missouri; WWII Draft Registration Cards For District of Columbia, 10/16/1940-03/31/1947; Record Group: Records of the Selective Service System, 147; Box: 51, Ancestry.com; Henry Crawford in the 1950 United States Federal Census, National Archives at Washington, DC; Washington, D.C.; Seventeenth Census of the United States, 1950; Year: 1950; Census Place: Washington, Washington, District of Columbia; Roll: 5909; Page: 8; Enumeration District: 1-331, Ancestry.com.
(5) Henry Crawford in the U.S., Social Security Death Index, 1935-2014, Social Security Administration; Washington D.C., USA; Social Security Death Index, Master File, Ancestry.com.
Birthplace
Louisa, Virginia, USA
Related Workers
Luther J. Wilkerson
Housekeeping and Laundry, circa 1929 – 1933
Ebledsoe H. Johnson
Ushers, Stewards, and Doorkeepers, 1924 – 1933