Joseph A. Colvin
Cite this Page
"Joseph A. Colvin," White House Workers History Project, White House Historical Association, 2026, https://whha.whirlihost.com/Detail/workers/860.
- Position
- Gardener
- Years in President's House
- circa 1929
- Legal Status
- Free Person
- Gender
- Male
- Race/Ethnicity
- Black or African American
- Presidency
- Herbert Hoover
- Biography
- Joseph A. Colvin was born in Virginia around 1871. (1) For many years, Colvin worked as a gardener and laborer with the Office of Public Buildings and Parks. In 1929, he was included on a list of employees engaged in White House work under the supervision of Head Gardener Charles Henlock. He may have been assigned to the White House gardens and grounds, or worked at the White House greenhouses near the Bureau of Engraving and Printing on the National Mall. It is likely that Colvin was assigned to the White House prior to or following 1929, but information about his life and career is limited. (2)
- (1) Joseph Colvin in the 1930 United States Federal Census, Year: 1930; Census Place: Washington, District of Columbia; Page: 13B; Enumeration District: 0067; FHL microfilm: 2340028, Ancestry.com.
(2) Ibid; Boyd’s District of Columbia Directory (R. L. Polk and Co., 1930), 417; Employees on Duty at the Executive Office, 1929, Lou Henry Hoover Papers, Subject Files, White House Christmas 1929, Herbert Hoover Presidential Library. - Birthplace
- Virginia, USA