Vernon Spenser
Cite this Page
"Vernon Spenser," White House Workers History Project, White House Historical Association, 2026, https://whha.whirlihost.com/Detail/workers/889.
- Position
- Dog Keeper
- Years in President's House
- circa 1930 – 1932
- Legal Status
- Free Person
- Gender
- Male
- Presidency
- Herbert Hoover
- Biography
- Vernon Spenser appears on First Lady Lou Hoover’s White House Christmas lists in 1930 as "kennel man” and in 1931 and 1932 as “dog boy.” (1) Further information about his life is scarce, but these titles suggest that he assisted White House Master of Hounds Harry Waters, who cared for Herbert and Lou Hoover’s many dogs, including King Tut, Pat, and Weegie. (2)
- (1) Christmas 1930, Lou Henry Hoover Papers, Subject Files, White House Christmas 1930, Herbert Hoover Presidential Library; Xmas List 1931, Lou Henry Hoover Papers, Subject Files, White House Christmas 1931, Herbert Hoover Presidential Library; White House Employees, 1932, Lou Henry Hoover Papers, Subject Files, White House Christmas 1932, Herbert Hoover Presidential Library.
(2) “First Family’s Pets,” Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum, https://hoover.archives.gov/hoovers/first-familys-pets; “Dogs with White House Residence,” Albuquerque Journal, June 20, 1930, pg. 3, https://www.newspapers.com/image/156623561/?match=1&terms=Harry%20Waters%20Dog. - Birthplace
- Unclear from Context
- Related Worker
- Harry D. WatersGardens, Grounds, and Flower Shop, Valets, Lady's Maids, and First Family Attendants, 1929 – 1961