William E. Marcey
Cite this Page
"William E. Marcey," White House Workers History Project, White House Historical Association, 2026, https://whha.whirlihost.com/Detail/workers/937.
- Position
- Engineer
- Years in President's House
- circa 1940 – 1961
- Legal Status
- Free Person
- Gender
- Male
- Race/Ethnicity
- White
- Biography
- William Earl Marcey was born in Arlington, Virginia on August 10, 1909. (1) As early as 1940, he began working at the White House as an engineer on assignment from the Department of the Interior. (2) During this period, White House engineers oversaw the general maintenance of systems at the White House including heating and air, as well as movie theatre operations. The exact years of his White House work is unclear; he is mentioned on staff records through at least 1961, but his 1996 death certificate suggests he spent his entire career there. (3) His brother, Paul W. Marcey Sr., also worked at the White House as a gardener and florist. (4) William E. Marcey died on October 30, 1996, and was buried at Mount Olivet Methodist Church Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia. (5)
- (1) William Earl Marcey 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 Virginia, 10/16/1940-03/31/1947; Record Group: Records of the Selective Service System, 147; Box: 483, Ancestry.com. (2) "White Regular Employees of the White House Christmas, 1940," Folder: Christmas Subject File, Grace Tully Papers, Franklin D. Roosevelt Library, Hyde Park, New York; William E Marcey in the 1940 United States Federal Census, Year: 1940; Census Place: Arlington, Virginia; Roll: m-t0627-04245; Page: 15B; Enumeration District: 7-8A, Ancestry.com; William Marcey 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: 733; Page: 6; Enumeration District: 7-41, Ancestry.com. (3) Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis Personal Papers. Textual Materials. Letitia Baldrige Files. Christmas: 1961 (2 of 2 folders). JBKOPP-SF037-009. John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum; William Earle Marcey in the Virginia, U.S., Death Records, 1912-2014, Ancestry.com. Virginia, U.S., Death Records, 1912-2014 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2015; “Memorandum to President Harry S. Truman re Salary Increases for White House Employees,” November 1, 1951, White House Files: President's Secretary's Files, Harry S. Truman Library, https://catalog.archives.gov/id/354584155. paul (4) Paul W Marcey 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: 733; Page: 7; Enumeration District: 7-41, Ancestry.com. (5) William Earle Marcey in the Virginia, U.S., Death Records, 1912-2014, Ancestry.com. Virginia, U.S., Death Records, 1912-2014 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2015; “William Earl Marcey,” Find a Grave, https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/90406194/william_earl-marcey.
- Birthplace
- Arlington, Virginia, USA
- Related Worker
- Paul W. Marcey Sr.Gardens, Grounds, and Flower Shop, Operations, Facilities, & Events, circa 1950 – 1973