William H. Lee
Cite this Page
"William H. Lee," White House Workers History Project, White House Historical Association, 2026, https://whha.whirlihost.com/Detail/workers/879.
- 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
- William H. Lee was born around 1897 in Washington, D.C. (1) He worked as a gardener/laborer for the Office of Public Buildings and Parks, and as early as 1929, he was assigned to the White House under the supervision of Head Gardener Charles Henlock. (2) Lee may have worked on the White House Grounds or at the White House greenhouses near the Bureau of Engraving and Printing on the National Mall. It is unclear how long he was assigned there, and further information about his life and career is limited.
- (1) William H Lee in the 1930 United States Federal Census, Year: 1930; Census Place: Washington, District of Columbia; Page: 1B; Enumeration District: 0056; FHL microfilm: 2340028, Ancestry.com; Boyd’s District of Columbia Directory (R. L. Polk and Co., 1930), pg. 954.
(2) Employees on Duty at the Executive Office, 1929, Lou Henry Hoover Papers, Subject Files, White House Christmas 1929, Herbert Hoover Presidential Library. - Birthplace
- Washington, D.C., USA