Roy Ward
Cite this Page
"Roy Ward," White House Workers History Project, White House Historical Association, 2026, https://whha.whirlihost.com/Detail/workers/890.
- Position
- Houseman
- Years in President's House
- circa 1931 – 1933
- Legal Status
- Free Person
- Gender
- Male
- Race/Ethnicity
- Black or African American
- Biography
- Roy Ward was listed as an “occasional houseman” and “houseman” in First Lady Lou Hoover’s 1931 and 1932 staff Christmas lists, respectively, as well as on an early Roosevelt staff list from 1933. (1) This role likely entailed cleaning, moving furniture, and assisting with other general household maintenance. Outside of work, he served as the financial secretary of the Chandelier Club– a social group of African-American White House domestic employees. (2) Further information about his life is scarce.
- (1) White House Employees, 1932, Lou Henry Hoover Papers, Subject Files, White House Christmas 1932, Herbert Hoover Presidential Library; Xmas List 1931, Lou Henry Hoover Papers, Subject Files, White House Christmas 1931, Herbert Hoover Presidential Library; "Negro Employees at the White House Executive Office, and White House Garage as of March 31, 1933," White House Office Personnel, 1933-1935; Records of the White House Office of Budget and Accounting, Franklin D. Roosevelt Library, Hyde Park, New York..
(2) “Chandelier Club,” Washington Tribune, February 26, 1932, pg. 5, Chronicling America, https://www.loc.gov/item/sn87062236/1932-02-26/ed-1/. - Birthplace
- Unclear from Context