Raymond Dailey
Cite this Page
"Raymond Dailey," White House Workers History Project, White House Historical Association, 2026, https://whha.whirlihost.com/Detail/workers/960.
- Position
- Garage Staff
- Years in President's House
- 1942 – 1945
- Legal Status
- Free Person
- Gender
- Male
- Race/Ethnicity
- White
- Biography
- Raymond Dailey was born on May 30, 1887, in Brooklyn, New York. (1) He spent his career in the U.S. Army, first serving in Mexico on General John J. Pershing’s operation to capture Francisco “Pancho” Villa. (2) During World War I, he served in the Meuse–Argonne offensive on the Western Front with the Motor Transport Corps (part of the U.S. Army Quartermaster Corps). Newspapers noted his bravery, writing: “He was in command of a supply train of motor trucks which he brought through a barrage of enemy shell fire to the troops at the front.” (3) During the Second World War, he achieved the rank of colonel in the Quartermaster Corps, and from 1942-1945 he was commanding officer of the War Department Motor Center in Washington, D.C. (4) In this role, Dailey was “responsible for furnishing motor transportation for the entire Military District of Washington,” and “supervised the operation of the White House garage, including maintenance of equipment and management of its personnel to provide transportation and services for the President of the United States and official personnel of the Executive Mansion.” (5) After the war, Dailey retired and moved to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, where he passed away on July 13, 1975. He was buried at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia. (6)
- (1) Raymond Dailey in the New York, U.S., Abstracts of World War I Military Service, 1917-1919, Ancestry.com. New York, U.S., Abstracts of World War I Military Service, 1917-1919 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2013; Raymond Dailey in the Florida, U.S., Death Index, 1877-1998, Ancestry.com. Florida, U.S., Death Index, 1877-1998 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2004.
(2) “Lieut. Raymond E. Dailey,” Evening Star (Washington, D.C.), September 24, 1920, pg. 23.
(3) Ibid; Raymond Dailey in the New York, U.S., Abstracts of World War I Military Service, 1917-1919, Ancestry.com. New York, U.S., Abstracts of World War I Military Service, 1917-1919 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2013.
(3) U.S. War Department Press Release, September 1, 1946, pg. 4, https://www.google.com/books/edition/Release/ktbPrFmOCDgC?hl=en&gbpv=1.
(4) U.S. War Department Press Release, September 1, 1946, pg. 4, https://www.google.com/books/edition/Release/ktbPrFmOCDgC?hl=en&gbpv=1; "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.
(6) “Dailey,” Fort Lauderdale News (Florida), July 15, 1975, pg. 17; “Col. Raymond Dailey,” Find a Grave, https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/50709124/raymond-dailey. - Birthplace
- Brooklyn, New York, USA