Michael A. Laden
Cite this Page
"Michael A. Laden," White House Workers History Project, White House Historical Association, 2026, https://whha.whirlihost.com/Detail/workers/848.
- Position
- Gardener
- Years in President's House
- circa 1929
- Legal Status
- Free Person
- Gender
- Male
- Race/Ethnicity
- White
- Presidency
- Herbert Hoover
- Biography
- Michael Aloysius Laden was born in Washington, D.C. to Irish parents on December 25, 1882. (1) He served in the U.S. Army’s 128th Infantry Regiment as a Private First Class in World War I and was a longtime gardener for the Office of Public Buildings and Parks. (2) The 1920 census recorded his workplace as the U.S. Botanic Garden, and in 1929, he was included on a list of employees engaged in White House work under the supervision of Head Gardener Charles Henlock. (3) Laden may have been assigned to the White House rounds, or worked at the White House greenhouses near the Bureau of Engraving and Printing on the National Mall. It is likely that he was assigned to the White House prior to or following 1929, but information about his career is limited. Michael A. Laden died on May 15, 1935, and was buried at Arlington National Cemetery. (4)
- (1) Michael Laden in the 1930 United States Federal Census, Year: 1930; Census Place: Washington, District of Columbia, District of Columbia; Page: 10A; Enumeration District: 0254; FHL microfilm: 2340034, Ancestry.com; Michael Caden in the 1920 United States Federal Census, Year: 1920; Census Place: Washington, Washington, District of Columbia; Roll: T625_208; Page: 7B; Enumeration District: 239, Ancestry.com; Boyd’s District of Columbia Directory (R. L. Polk and Co., 1931), pg. 976; Michael Aloysius Laden in the U.S., Veterans Administration Master Index, 1917-1940, Ancestry.com. U.S., Veterans Administration Master Index, 1917-1940 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT. USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2019, Ancestry.com.
(2) Michael Aloysius Laden in the U.S., Veterans Administration Master Index, 1917-1940, Ancestry.com. U.S., Veterans Administration Master Index, 1917-1940 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT. USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2019, Ancestry.com;
(3) Employees on Duty at the Executive Office, 1929, Lou Henry Hoover Papers, Subject Files, White House Christmas 1929, Herbert Hoover Presidential Library; Michael Caden in the 1920 United States Federal Census, Year: 1920; Census Place: Washington, Washington, District of Columbia; Roll: T625_208; Page: 7B; Enumeration District: 239, Ancestry.com; “Laden, Michael A.,” Army Cemeteries Explorer, https://ancexplorer.army.mil/publicwmv/index.html#/arlington-national/search/results/1/CgVMYWRlbhIHTWljaGFlbBoBQQ--/.
(4) “Laden, Michael A.,” Army Cemeteries Explorer, https://ancexplorer.army.mil/publicwmv/index.html#/arlington-national/search/results/1/CgVMYWRlbhIHTWljaGFlbBoBQQ--/; “Laden, Michael A.,” Evening Star (Washington, D.C.), May 15, 1935, pg. 9. - Birthplace
- Washington, D.C., USA