White House Historical Association

Sarah O'Kane

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"Sarah O'Kane," White House Workers History Project, White House Historical Association, 2026, https://whha.whirlihost.com/Detail/workers/802.
Position
Cook
Years in President's House
circa 1930 – 1931
Legal Status
Free Person
Gender
Female
Presidency
Herbert Hoover
Biography
In 1930, Sara O’Kane was listed as third cook alongside Nora Mannix and Annie Fulton on the First Lady Lou Hoover’s staff Christmas list. (1) In this role, she may have cooked for the other domestic staff at the White House and assisted with cleaning duties in the kitchen. In 1931, the D.C. city directory lists her as a cook at the White House, but she is not included on the first lady’s Christmas list later that year, indicating she may have left employment there by the end of the year. (2) Further information about her life is scarce.
(1) Christmas 1930, Lou Henry Hoover Papers, Subject Files, White House Christmas 1930, Herbert Hoover Presidential Library.
(2) Xmas List 1931, Lou Henry Hoover Papers, Subject Files, White House Christmas 1931, Herbert Hoover Presidential Library; Boyd’s District of Columbia Directory Vol. LXXIII (Washington, D.C.: R. L. Polk and Co., 1931), pg. 1233.
Birthplace
Unclear from Context
Related Workers
Nora T. Mannix
Housekeeping and Laundry, 1928 – 1933
Annie Fulton
Valets, Lady's Maids, and First Family Attendants, Kitchen, Dining Room, Pantry, and Storeroom, 1925 – 1933