Abraham Caldwell
Cite this Page
"Abraham Caldwell," White House Workers History Project, White House Historical Association, 2026, https://whha.whirlihost.com/Detail/workers/956.
- Position
- Custodian
- Years in President's House
- circa 1942 – 1954
- Legal Status
- Free Person
- Gender
- Male
- Race/Ethnicity
- Black or African American
- Biography
- Abraham Caldwell was born on December 11, 1900, in Newberry, South Carolina. (1) At some point prior to the 1930s, Caldwell relocated to Washington, D.C. He worked as a bricklayer prior to joining the White House staff around 1942. (2) Caldwell worked as a janitor on the “night cleaning force,” working in both the Residence and the West Wing. (3) He appeared on staff lists through 1954, when the D.C. directory listed him as a White House employee; further details about his tenure are unknown. (4) Abraham Caldwell died on September 25, 1965, and was buried at National Harmony Memorial Park in Landover, Maryland. (5)
- (1) Abraham Caldwell 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: 34, Ancestry.com.
(2) Ibid; Boyd’s District of Columbia Directory (Washington, D.C.: R. L. Polk and Co., 1933), 317.
(3) Abraham Caldwell 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: 34, Ancestry.com; "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) Boyd’s District of Columbia Directory (Washington, D.C.: R. L. Polk and Co., 1954), 198; Abraham Caldwell 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: 2137; Page: 9; Enumeration District: 1-110, Ancestry.com.
(5) Abraham Caldwell in the Washington, District of Columbia, U.S., Hall Brothers Funeral Home, 1941-1999, DC Public Library; Washington DC; Halls Brothers Funeral Home Washington DC, 1941-1999, Ancestry.com. - Birthplace
- Newberry, South Carolina, USA