White House Historical Association

Elizabeth Beasley

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"Elizabeth Beasley," White House Workers History Project, White House Historical Association, 2026, https://whha.whirlihost.com/Detail/workers/808.
Positions
Cook
Kitchen Assistant
Years in President's House
circa 1929 – 1930
Legal Status
Free Person
Gender
Female
Race/Ethnicity
Black or African American
Presidency
Herbert Hoover
Biography
Elizabeth Beasley was born in Washington, D.C. around 1911. (1) In 1929, First Lady Lou Hoover listed Beasley as an “occasional cook” on her annual White House Christmas list; the following year, she was listed as a kitchen maid. In this role, she likely assisted with basic kitchen preparations and cleaning duties. (2) Further information about her life is scarce– she does not appear on the 1931 and 1932 lists, suggesting she no longer worked in the White House Kitchen by that time.
(1) Elizabeth Beasley in the 1930 United States Federal Census, Year: 1930; Census Place: Washington, District of Columbia; Page: 12B; Enumeration District: 0224; FHL microfilm: 2340033, Ancestry.com.
(2) Employees on Duty at the Executive Office, 1929, Lou Henry Hoover Papers, Subject Files, White House Christmas 1929, Herbert Hoover Presidential Library; Christmas 1930, Lou Henry Hoover Papers, Subject Files, White House Christmas 1930, Herbert Hoover Presidential Library.
Birthplace
Washington, D.C., USA