John T. Wanzer
Cite this Page
"John T. Wanzer," White House Workers History Project, White House Historical Association, 2026, https://whha.whirlihost.com/Detail/workers/854.
- Position
- Grounds Laborer
- Years in President's House
- circa 1929
- Legal Status
- Free Person
- Gender
- Male
- Race/Ethnicity
- Black or African American
- Presidency
- Herbert Hoover
- Biography
- John T. Wanzer was born in the 1880s in New Jersey. (1) Wanzer worked as a laborer for the Office of Public Buildings and Parks, and in 1929, he was assigned to the White House. (2) According to First Lady Lou Hoover’s annual staff list, Wanzer worked under the supervision of Head Gardener Charles Henlock; he may have worked on the White House Grounds or in the White House greenhouses near the Bureau of Engraving and Printing on the National Mall. Wanzer continued to work for the Office of Public Buildings and Parks in the years that followed, so he may have still been assigned to the White House; information is limited. (3)
Outside of work, Wanzer was a brother at Columbia Lodge No. 85 of the Improved Benevolent and Protective Order of the Elks of the World, a prominent fraternal organization in D.C.’s Black community. (4) John T. Wanzer passed away on March 21, 1940, and was buried at Columbian Harmony Cemetery; burials there were later disinterred during Metro construction, and moved to National Harmony Memorial Park Cemetery in Maryland. (5) - (1) Sources attribute different dates to his birth. His register of interment dates his birth ca. 1888; census data suggests ca. 1884. See John T. Wanzer in the Washington, District of Columbia, U.S., Columbian Harmony Payne Cemetery, 1901-1959, Ancestry.com. Washington, District of Columbia, U.S., Columbian Harmony Payne Cemetery, 1901-1959 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2023; John T Wanzer in the 1930 United States Federal Census, Year: 1930; Census Place: Washington, District of Columbia, District of Columbia; Page: 1B; Enumeration District: 0009; FHL microfilm: 2340027, 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; Boyd’s District of Columbia Directory (R.L. Polk and Co., 1933), pg. 1618.
(3) Boyd’s District of Columbia Directory (R.L. Polk and Co., 1933), pg. 1618; Boyd’s District of Columbia Directory (R.L. Polk and Co., 1931), pg. 1657.
(4) “Wanzer, John T.,” Evening Star (Washington, D.C.), March 22, 1940, pg. 12; “Elks Columbia Lodge No. 85: 1844 Third Street, NW,” Historical Marker Database, https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=170808.
(5) “Wanzer, John T.,” Evening Star (Washington, D.C.), March 22, 1940, pg. 12; John T. Wanzer in the Washington, District of Columbia, U.S., Columbian Harmony Payne Cemetery, 1901-1959, Ancestry.com. Washington, District of Columbia, U.S., Columbian Harmony Payne Cemetery, 1901-1959 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2023 - Birthplace
- New Jersey, USA