Henry Nesbitt
Cite this Page
"Henry Nesbitt," White House Workers History Project, White House Historical Association, 2026, https://whha.whirlihost.com/Detail/workers/906.
- Position
- Custodian
- Years in President's House
- 1933 – 1938
- Legal Status
- Free Person
- Gender
- Male
- Race/Ethnicity
- White
- Presidency
- Franklin D. Roosevelt
- Biography
- Henry Nesbitt was born in County Cavan, Ireland on May 26, 1865. At nineteen, he immigrated to the United States, settling in Duluth, Minnesota. (1) He first worked at an insurance firm before briefly selling whale meat, then found a job at a cooperage, which closed with the onset of the Great Depression. Henry and his wife, Henrietta, moved several times before settling in Hyde Park, New York. There, Henrietta formed a close friendship with future First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, and both she and Henry were hired by the Roosevelts to work on their White House staff in 1933. (2)
When Henrietta reflected on Mrs. Roosevelt's invitation to work at the White House, she noted that the first lady had assured her that Henry would also have a job. This gesture revealed Mrs. Roosevelt's sympathy for Henry's failed business ventures and the hardships of the Great Depression. (3) The White House hired Henry as a custodian under housekeeping, where he managed the department's finances and established an up-to-date accounting system. (4)
Henry died on January 5, 1938, while still employed at the White House. Upon hearing the news, First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt reportedly rushed to their home to comfort Henrietta. (5) Henry is buried at Saint James Episcopal Churchyard in Hyde Park, New York. (6) - (1) "Henry Nesbitt of White House Staff, Dies at 72," Times Herald (Washington, D.C.), January 6, 1938, 18 https://www.newspapers.com/image/1043748979/?match=1&terms=henry%20nesbitt.
(2) Victoria Henrietta Kugler Nesbitt, White House Diary (New York: Doubleday, 1949) 15.
(3)Victoria Henrietta Kugler Nesbitt, White House Diary (New York: Doubleday, 1949) 10.
(4) "Henry Nesbitt of White House Staff, Dies at 72," Times Herald (Washington, D.C.), January 6, 1938, 18 https://www.newspapers.com/image/1043748979/?match=1&terms=henry%20nesbitt.
(5) "Henry Nesbitt of White House Staff, Dies at 72," Times Herald (Washington, D.C.), January 6, 1938, 18 https://www.newspapers.com/image/1043748979/?match=1&terms=henry%20nesbitt.
(6) "Henry F. Nesbitt," Find a Grave, accessed February 12, 2025 https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/140716464/henry_f_nesbitt - Birthplace
- County Cavan, Ireland
- Related Association Content
- https://www.whitehousehistory.org/staff-at-the-roosevelt-household