Thomas L. Barker
Cite this Page
"Thomas L. Barker," White House Workers History Project, White House Historical Association, 2026, https://whha.whirlihost.com/Detail/workers/951.
- Position
- Garage Staff
- Years in President's House
- circa 1940 – 1950
- Legal Status
- Free Person
- Gender
- Male
- Race/Ethnicity
- Black or African American
- Biography
- Thomas Louis Barker was born in Washington, D.C. on June 10, 1909. (1) He worked as a chauffeur in the city, and by 1940, he was employed in the White House Garage. (2) There, he was a car washer for the fleet of vehicles used by President Franklin D. Roosevelt and his staff. (3) Barker remained in this role through at least 1950 during the presidency of Harry S. Truman; he may have worked there beyond that time, but information is limited. (4) He passed away on March 7, 1957, and was buried at Lincoln Memorial Cemetery in Suitland, Maryland. (5)
- (1) Thomas Louis Barker 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: 11, Ancestry.com.
(2) Boyd’s Directory of the District of Columbia (Washington, D.C.: R. L. Polk and Co., 1928), 224; Thomas L Barker in the 1940 United States Federal Census, Year: 1940; Census Place: Washington, District of Columbia, District of Columbia; Roll: m-t0627-00572; Page: 1A; Enumeration District: 1-562, Ancestry.com.
(3) Ibid; "Roster of White House Employees, Revised, April 1, 1944," Folder: Investigative Case Files, 1934-1945, Records of the United States Secret Service, 1933-1945, Franklin D. Roosevelt Library, Hyde Park, New York.
(4) Personnel Changes 1948-1949, July 1, 1948, Records of the White House Office: Records Relating to Accounts, Purchases and Personnel (Record Group 130), Harry S. Truman Library; Thomas L Barker 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: Washington, Washington, District of Columbia; Roll: 2525; Page: 1; Enumeration District: 1-1221, Ancestry.com.
(5) “Barker, Thomas L.,” Evening Star (Washington, D.C.), March 10, 1957, pg. 36. - Birthplace
- Washington, D.C., USA