Camillus Proctor
Cite this Page
"Camillus Proctor," White House Workers History Project, White House Historical Association, 2026, https://whha.whirlihost.com/Detail/workers/868.
- Position
- Grounds Laborer
- Years in President's House
- circa 1929 – 1942
- Legal Status
- Free Person
- Gender
- Male
- Race/Ethnicity
- Black or African American
- Biography
- Camillus Proctor was born in Charles County, Maryland on September 4, 1886. (1) He worked on a Maryland farm prior to securing a position as a laborer with the Office of Public Buildings and Parks in the late 1920s. As early as 1929, Proctor was assigned to the White House under the supervision of Head Gardener Charles Henlock. (2) According to his 1942 World War II draft card, he worked at the White House greenhouses near the Bureau of Engraving and Printing on the National Mall. These gardens provided florals and greenery for White House events. (3) Later that year, the greenhouses were demolished to make room for a local highway expansion; it is unclear how this affected Proctor’s role, but he continued to work as a laborer for the federal government in the years that followed. (4) Further information about his life is scarce.
- (1) Camillus Proctor 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: 055, 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; Camilus Proctor in the 1930 United States Federal Census, Year: 1930; Census Place: Washington, District of Columbia; Page: 6B; Enumeration District: 0269; FHL microfilm: 2340034, Ancestry.com.
(3) Camillus Proctor 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: 055, Ancestry.com.
(4) Camillus F Proctor 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: Washington, Washington, District of Columbia; Roll: 477; Page: 4; Enumeration District: 1-737, Ancestry.com. - Birthplace
- Charles County, Maryland, USA