White House Historical Association

Smith E. Horsley

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"Smith E. Horsley," White House Workers History Project, White House Historical Association, 2026, https://whha.whirlihost.com/Detail/workers/975.
Position
Butler
Years in President's House
circa 1944
Legal Status
Free Person
Gender
Male
Race/Ethnicity
Black or African American
Presidency
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Biography
Smith Ellis Horsley was born in Amherst County, Virginia on December 20, 1898. (1) During World War I, Horsley was a private in the 446th Service Battalion with the U.S. Army Quartermaster Corps. (2) After the war, he lived and worked in Lynchburg, Virginia in a variety of jobs including porter and chauffeur. (3) By the late 1930s, he had relocated to Washington, D.C. and worked initially as a houseman at a local hotel, and later at Prospect House, a historic home in Georgetown owned by Captain Edward B. McCauley. (4) In 1944, Horsley appeared on the White House staff roster as a butler. In this role, he would have served the president and their guests at events, including receptions and dinners. (5) Smith Horsley died the following year on September 22, 1945; it is unclear if he was still working at the White House at that time. He was buried at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia. (6)
(1) Smith Ellis Horsley, 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: 110.
(2) Smith E Horsley, U.S., National Cemetery Interment Control Forms, 1928-1962, Ancestry.com. U.S., National Cemetery Interment Control Forms, 1928-1962 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2012.
(3) Hill’s Lynchburg City Directory (Virginia: Hill Directory Co., 1931), 260; Hill’s Lynchburg City Directory (Virginia: Hill Directory Co., 1932), 205; Hill’s Lynchburg City Directory (Virginia: Hill Directory Co., 1933), 203.
(4) Horsley’s exact role during this period is unclear. Smith Ellis Horsley, 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: 110; Boyd’s District of Columbia Directory (R. L. Polk and Co., 1938), 562.
(5) "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) “Horsley, Smith E.,” Evening Star (Washington, D.C.), September 24, 1945, pg. 10; “Smith E. Horsley,” Find a Grave, https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/49207363/smith-e-horsley.
Birthplace
Amherst County, Virginia, USA