Harry Charnley
Cite this Page
"Harry Charnley," White House Workers History Project, White House Historical Association, 2026, https://whha.whirlihost.com/Detail/workers/892.
- Position
- Footman
- Years in President's House
- 1929 – 1965
- Legal Status
- Free Person
- Gender
- Male
- Race/Ethnicity
- White
- Biography
- Harry Charnley Sr. was born in New Bedford, Massachusetts on July 30, 1905. (1) Charnley worked for the Post Office Department, and in 1929, he was assigned to the White House Garage as a footman. (2) A garage footman typically carried baggage and packages, retrieved cars for use by the chauffeur, opened and closed gates for automobiles, and took on other general tasks in the garage as needed. (3) He continued in the role for decades, retiring in July 1965. Despite his long tenure, information about his life and career is limited. (4) He died on January 13, 1966, and was buried at the Odd Fellows Cemetery in Flintstone, Maryland, which tells us that he was a member of the fraternal organization in his free time. (5)
- (1) Harry Charnley in the U.S., World War II Draft Cards Young Men, 1940-1947, National Archives at St. Louis; St. Louis, Missouri; WWII Draft Registration Cards For District of Columbia, 10/16/1940-03/31/1947; Record Group: Records of the Selective Service System, 147; Box: 40, Ancestry.com.
(2) Employees of the White House Garage, January 8, 1931, Presidential Papers, Subject File, The White House-Garage Correspondence, 1930-1933 and Undated, Herbert Hoover Presidential Library; “Harry Charnley,” The Standard-Times (New Bedford, MA), January 18, 1966, pg. 2.
(3) Job Descriptions for Industrial Service and Maintenance Jobs (Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office: U.S. Employment Service, 1939), 213.
(4) Harry Charnley 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: All Places, Arlington, Virginia; Roll: 734; Page: 78; Enumeration District: 7-75, Ancestry.com; “Harry Charnley,” The Standard-Times (New Bedford, MA), January 18, 1966, pg. 2.
(5) Charnley died while on vacation in Alabama. Harry Charnley Sr in the Alabama, U.S., Deaths and Burials Index, 1881-1974, Ancestry.com. Alabama, U.S., Deaths and Burials Index, 1881-1974 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011; “Harry Charnley,” The Standard-Times (New Bedford, MA), January 18, 1966, pg. 2, “Harry Charnley,” Find a Grave, https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/42982612/harry-charnley. - Birthplace
- New Bedford, Massachusetts, USA