Armstead Barnett
Cite this Page
"Armstead Barnett," White House Workers History Project, White House Historical Association, 2026, https://whha.whirlihost.com/Detail/workers/913.
- Positions
- Pantryman
- Butler
- Years in President's House
- 1938 – 1952
- Legal Status
- Free Person
- Gender
- Male
- Race/Ethnicity
- Black or African American
- Biography
- Armstead Barnett was born in Virginia on February 24, 1912. (1) He worked at a cotton factory until his cousin– an employee at the White House– asked Barnett to help at an event while visiting family in D.C. in 1933. In 1938, Barnett joined the White House staff full-time as a pantryman. (2) He lived on the Third Floor of the White House from 1938-1942, and caused a stir when he filed “1600 Pennsylvania Avenue” as his address on his marriage license– Eleanor Roosevelt had to confirm on his behalf. (3) He rose from pantryman to second butler to butler-valet, serving presidents Franklin Roosevelt and Harry Truman. In 1952, he left the White House to launch his own successful catering business in D.C. He was even selected as Ward 7’s Man of the Year in 1979. (4) Barnett died on June 11, 2003, and is buried at Harmony Memorial Park. (5)
- (1) “Armstead H. Barnett” in U.S., Social Security Death Index, Number: 578-20-3073; Issue State: District of Columbia; Issue Date: Before 1951, Ancestry.com.
Adam Bernstein, “Armstead Barnett Dies; Well-Known D.C. Businessman,” Washington Post, June 14, 2003, pg. B7.
(2) Kevin M. Burke, Robert Heinrich, and Steven J. Niven, “The Roosevelts and African American Civil Rights Leaders,” National Park Service, Pg. 69; Richard Kurin and Marjorie Hunt, “In the Service of the Presidency: Workers’ Culture at the White House,” Prologue: The Journal of the National Archives (Winter 1996): 271-272.
(3) Vernon C. Thompson, “Ward 7 Toasts a Good Neighbor,” Washington Post, May 24, 1975, pg. DC4.
(5) “Barnett, Armstead H.,” Washington Post, June 20, 2003. - Birthplace
- Virginia, USA
- Related Association Content
- https://www.whitehousehistory.org/photos/the-working-white-house-smithsonian-festival