White House Historical Association

Eliza A. Dorsey

Ask a Historian Download as PDF
Cite this Page
"Eliza A. Dorsey," White House Workers History Project, White House Historical Association, 2026, https://whha.whirlihost.com/Detail/workers/961.
Position
Maid
Years in President's House
circa 1940 – 1954
Legal Status
Free Person
Gender
Female
Race/Ethnicity
Black or African American
Presidencies
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Harry S. Truman
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Biography
Eliza A. Dorsey was born on September 9, 1887, in Washington, D.C. (1) She was a charwoman, or cleaner, for the federal government, working for several federal agencies including the State and War Departments and the Office of Public Buildings and Parks. (2) As early as 1940, she is recorded as a cleaner on staff at the White House, maintaining both the Residence and the West Wing; according to a 1944 staff roster, she worked the night shift there. (3) She continues to appear on staff lists through 1954, but further information about her tenure is unclear. (4) She passed away in February 1973. (5)
(1) Eliza Dorsey in the U.S., Social Security Death Index, 1935-2014, Social Security Administration; Washington D.C., USA; Social Security Death Index, Master File, Ancestry.com; Eliza Dorsey in the 1940 United States Federal Census, Year: 1940; Census Place: Washington, District of Columbia, District of Columbia; Roll: m-t0627-00554; Page: 5A; Enumeration District: 1-47, Ancestry.com.
(2) Eliza Dorsey in the 1930 United States Federal Census, Year: 1930; Census Place: Washington, District of Columbia, District of Columbia; Page: 13A; Enumeration District: 0016; FHL microfilm: 2340027, Ancestry.com; Boyd’s District of Columbia Directory (Washington, D.C.: R. L. Polk and Co., 1931), 540.
(3) Eliza Dorsey in the 1940 United States Federal Census, Year: 1940; Census Place: Washington, District of Columbia, District of Columbia; Roll: m-t0627-00554; Page: 5A; Enumeration District: 1-47, 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), 349.
(5) Eliza Dorsey in the U.S., Social Security Death Index, 1935-2014, Social Security Administration; Washington D.C., USA; Social Security Death Index, Master File, Ancestry.com.
Birthplace
Washington, D.C., USA