John W. Ficklin
Cite this Page
"John W. Ficklin," White House Workers History Project, White House Historical Association, 2026, https://whha.whirlihost.com/Detail/workers/904.
- Positions
- Butler
- Maitre d'hotel
- Years in President's House
- 1939 – 1983
- 1978
- Legal Status
- Free Person
- Gender
- Male
- Race/Ethnicity
- Black or African American
- Biography
- John Woodson Ficklin was born on June 27, 1919, in Amissville, Virginia. (1) His father, James Strother Ficklin, was born into slavery and later became a free man. John Ficklin and his siblings spent their childhood working on the family farm in Amissville. (2) After John’s brother, Charles, was hired at the Roosevelt White House as a butler in 1939, he helped John get a job as a pantryman on staff. (3) During World War II, Ficklin enlisted in the United States Army and served in the Philippines as a Technician Third Grade. (4) When he returned to the White House in 1945, he was promoted to butler, working under his brother Charles, who became maitre d’ in 1953. (5) Many Ficklin family members went on to work at the White House over the years including his brother Samuel L. Ficklin and sisters Flossie Malachi and Mary Anderson. (6) In total, John Ficklin went on to serve nine presidents, and he became a well-known figure, even appearing on the game shows “To Tell the Truth” and “What’s My Line?” (7) John Ficklin was asked to serve as an usher at President John F. Kennedy’s funeral. (8) After his brother, Charles, retired from the White House, John Ficklin was promoted to the role of maitre d’ in 1967– he held this position until his own retirement on May 28, 1983. (9)
On July 18, 1983, President Ronald Reagan and First Lady Nancy Reagan invited John Ficklin and his wife, Nancy, to attend a State Dinner for the Amir of Bahrain as guests. (10) After a life of service, John W. Ficklin died on December 16, 1984, and was buried at Bethel Baptist Church Cemetery in Amissville, Virginia. The Marine Band provided music for the funeral, and attendees included congressmen, prominent Washingtonians, and current and former colleagues at the White House. (11)
One of his sons, John Wrory Ficklin, who worked part-time in the pantry and with the messenger service as a young man and eventually launched a long career with the National Security Council, published a book about the experiences of his family titled An Usual Path: Three Generations from Slavery to the White House (2026). (12) - (1) John Woodson Ficklin 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: 74, Ancestry.com.
(2) John Wrory Ficklin, An Usual Path: Three Generations from Slavery to the White House (White House Historical Association, 2026), 20-21.
(3) Ibid, 36.
(4) Ibid, 43-45; “John Woodson Ficklin,” Find a Grave, https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/178145104/john_woodson-ficklin/photo.
(5) Ficklin, An Usual Path, 46-47; “Charles Ficklin, Was White House Maitre d' Hotel,” Washington Post, March 8, 1978, https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/1978/03/09/charles-ficklin-was-white-house-maitre-d-hotel/164713f2-7cb6-46b5-bdbb-15ec43af4767/.
(6) Ficklin, An Usual Path, 48.
(7) Ibid, 54-54; John Woodson Ficklin: Papers, 1946-1994, Finding Aid, Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, https://www.reaganlibrary.gov/sites/default/files/finding_aids_pdfs/220124.pdf.
(8) Ibid, 56.
(9) John Woodson Ficklin: Papers, 1946-1994, Finding Aid, Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, https://www.reaganlibrary.gov/sites/default/files/finding_aids_pdfs/220124.pdf.
(10) “At the Presidents’ Service,” Washington Post, July 18, 1983, https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1983/07/19/at-the-presidents-service/9290470d-a937-4acb-9f4f-2e5d7a277a81/; Helen Thomas, “Former White House butler a guest to state dinner,” UPI, July 20, 1983, https://www.upi.com/Archives/1983/07/20/Former-White-House-butler-a-guest-to-state-dinner/4051427521600/.
(11) “John Woodson Ficklin,” Find a Grave, https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/178145104/john_woodson-ficklin/photo; Ficklin, An Usual Path, 88-89.
(12) Ibid. - Birthplace
- Amissville, Virginia, USA
- Related Workers
- Samuel L. FicklinKitchen, Dining Room, Pantry, and Storeroom, 1941 – 1991
- Charles E. FicklinKitchen, Dining Room, Pantry, and Storeroom, 1939 – 1965
- Flossie F. MalachiKitchen, Dining Room, Pantry, and Storeroom, circa 1945 – 1953
- Mary AndersonKitchen, Dining Room, Pantry, and Storeroom, circa 1945 – 1953
- Related Association Content
- https://www.whitehousehistory.org/galleries/first-children