White House Historical Association

William M. Wilkerson

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"William M. Wilkerson," White House Workers History Project, White House Historical Association, 2026, https://whha.whirlihost.com/Detail/workers/807.
Position
Houseman
Years in President's House
circa 1930 – 1933
Legal Status
Free Person
Gender
Male
Race/Ethnicity
Black or African American
Presidency
Herbert Hoover
Biography
William Major Franklin Wilkerson, often referred to as Major Wilkinson, was born in Washington, D.C. in 1911. (1) His uncles, Luther and Frank Wilkerson, both worked as housemen at the White House and likely assisted him in being hired there in the same role around 1930. (2) A houseman’s duties typically included cleaning, moving furniture, and assisting with other general maintenance in the Residence– according to White House Maid Lillian Rogers Parks, William was assigned to the Third Floor. (3) White House Christmas lists compiled by First Lady Lou Hoover place William Wilkerson at the White House in 1930 and 1931; in 1932, he is listed as an officer in the Chandelier Club–a social group of African-American White House domestic employees who gathered outside of work. The last confirmed mentioned of his work there was prior to the presidential transition in 1933. Beyond that, he continued to work for the government and enlisted in the U.S. Army during World War II. (5) He passed away in 1988. (6)
(1) William Major Franklin Wilkerson 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: 246, Ancestry.com.
(2) Christmas 1930, Lou Henry Hoover Papers, Subject Files, White House Christmas 1930, Herbert Hoover Presidential Library; Lillian Rogers Parks, My Thirty Years Backstairs at the White House (New York: Fleet Publishing Co., 1961), 206-207.
(3) Ibid.
(4) “Chandelier Club,” Washington Tribune, February 26, 1932, pg. 5, Chronicling America, https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn87062236/1932-02-26/ed-1/seq-5/.
(5) "Servants on the White House Staff," 1933, Folder: White House Functions: Records and Correspondence, Office of Social Entertainments, Franklin D. Roosevelt Library, Hyde Park, New York; William M F Wilkerson in the U.S., World War II Army Enlistment Records, 1938-1946; National Archives at College Park; College Park, Maryland, USA; Electronic Army Serial Number Merged File, 1938-1946; NAID: 1263923; Record Group Title: Records of the National Archives and Records Administration, 1789-ca. 2007; Record Group: 64; Box Number: 06242; Reel: 288, Ancestry.com; William F. Wilkerson 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: 5910; Page: 14; Enumeration District: 1-378, Ancestry.com.
(6) Burial information is scarce. William M. Wilkerson 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
Washington, D.C., USA
Related Workers
Luther J. Wilkerson
Housekeeping and Laundry, circa 1929 – 1933
Harrison F. Wilkerson
Housekeeping and Laundry, 1926 – circa 1933
Lillian Rogers Parks
Housekeeping and Laundry, 1929 – 1960