White House Historical Association

Frederick M. Snyder

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"Frederick M. Snyder," White House Workers History Project, White House Historical Association, 2026, https://whha.whirlihost.com/Detail/workers/815.
Position
Chauffeur
Years in President's House
1933 – 1945
Legal Status
Free Person
Gender
Male
Race/Ethnicity
White
Presidency
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Biography
Frederick Montfort "Monty" Snyder was born in Rhinebeck, New York, on July 25, 1906.(1) Before working at the White House, Monty was Governor Franklin D. Roosevelt's chauffeur. Snyder assisted Roosevelt during his first presidential campaign by driving him from town to town in New York so that he could speak to voters. Roosevelt even appealed specifically to Monty's hometown of Rhinebeck with the statement, "I want Monte Snyder down at the White House. Remember that in voting tomorrow you are voting for Monte." (2) After Roosevelt won the presidential election, he kept true to this promise: he brought Snyder to the White House.(3)
Snyder witnessed many historic moments in his profession, including driving the president and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill from the airport to the White House upon Mr. Churchill's arrival shortly after Pearl Harbor in 1941.(4) When World War II began, Monty joined the civil service, taking on a non-combat role that supported the government. He was later promoted to master sergeant so he could continue serving under the president.
After Roosevelt's death, Snyder was dismissed from his duties. Soon after, newspaper reports of him being demoted to a private rank and ordered to report for active Army duty, starting with training at Camp Lee, Virginia, emerged.(5) Later, Monty became a bus driver for the D.C. transit system. He died on October 31, 1962, and is buried at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia.(6)
(1) “Frederick Montfort Snyder,” Ancestry.com, accessed April 8, 2025, https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/person/tree/1701851/person/346104363/facts?_phsrc=pzr291&_phstart=successSource.
(2) "Roosevelt Ends Hustings Fight in Poughkeepsie," The State (Columbia, SC), November 8, 1932, 10, https://www.newspapers.com/image/748259400/?match=1&terms=%22Montford%20Snyder%22.
(3) "Two Old Neighbors of Roosevelts Head White House Staff," The Asheville Times (Asheville, NC), March 7, 1933, 2, https://www.newspapers.com/image/942745237/?match=1&terms=Montford%20%22Monty%22%20Snyder.
(4) "Drove From Airport," The Cleveland Press (Cleveland, OH), December 23, 1941, 5, https://www.newspapers.com/image/1166698017/?match=1&terms=%22Montford%20Snyder%22.
(5) “Frederick Montfort Snyder,” Ancestry.com Family Trees, accessed April 8, 2025, https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/person/tree/1701851/person/346104363/facts?_phsrc=pzr291&_phstart=successSource.; "Snyder Reported in Training, Reilly Scheduled for Army Duty," Poughkeepsie Journal (Poughkeepsie, NY), June 10, 1945, 1, https://www.newspapers.com/image/114395237/?match=1&terms=Montford%20%22Monty%22%20Snyder.
(6) “Frederick Montfort Snyder,” Ancestry.com Family Trees, accessed April 8, 2025, https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/person/tree/1701851/person/346104363/facts?_phsrc=pzr291&_phstart=successSource.
Birthplace
Rhinebeck, New York, USA
Related Worker
Alexander G. Pinard
Transportation, 1929 – 1937