Robert C. Holland
Cite this Page
"Robert C. Holland," White House Workers History Project, White House Historical Association, 2026, https://whha.whirlihost.com/Detail/workers/857.
- Position
- Gardener
- Years in President's House
- circa 1929 – 1942
- Legal Status
- Free Person
- Gender
- Male
- Race/Ethnicity
- White
- Biography
- Robert Cleon Holland was born on February 26, 1888, in Louisa County, Virginia. (1) In 1929, he was listed among those assigned to the White House under the supervision of Head Gardener Charles Henlock; he may have started there earlier, but documentation is limited. (2) He was likely on duty at the White House greenhouses near the Bureau of Engraving and Printing on the National Mall, as his 1942 draft card lists these facilities as his work location. The greenhouses provided florals and greenery for White House events. (3) The greenhouses were demolished later that year to make way for a local highway expansion, but Holland remained employed by the Department of the Interior for years to come; it is unclear if he continued to work with the White House. (4) He passed away on January 21, 1961, and was buried at Mount Comfort Cemetery in Alexandria, Virginia. (5)
- (1) Robert Cleon Holland in the U.S., World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1942, National Archives at St. Louis; St Louis, MO, USA; World War II Draft Cards (Fourth Registration) For the District of Columbia; Record Group Title: Records of the Selective Service System; Record Group Number: 147; Box or Roll Number: 032, 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.
(3) Robert Cleon Holland in the U.S., World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1942, National Archives at St. Louis; St Louis, MO, USA; World War II Draft Cards (Fourth Registration) For the District of Columbia; Record Group Title: Records of the Selective Service System; Record Group Number: 147; Box or Roll Number: 032, Ancestry.com.
(4) Robert C Holland 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: All Places, Arlington, Virginia; Roll: 736; Page: 8; Enumeration District: 7-140. Robert C Holland in the 1940 United States Federal Census, Year: 1940; Census Place: Washington, District of Columbia, District of Columbia; Roll: m-t0627-00566; Page: 1A; Enumeration District: 1-390, Ancestry.com.
(5) “Holland, Robert C.,” Evening Star (Washington, D.C.), January 22, 1961, pg. 42. - Birthplace
- Louisa County, Virginia, USA