White House Historical Association

Nannie F. Lewis

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"Nannie F. Lewis," White House Workers History Project, White House Historical Association, 2026, https://whha.whirlihost.com/Detail/workers/984.
Position
Maid
Years in President's House
circa 1940 – 1944
Legal Status
Free Person
Gender
Female
Race/Ethnicity
Black or African American
Presidency
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Biography
Nannie F. Lewis was born in Washington, D.C. in 1884. (1) Lewis worked as a laborer for the Office of Public Buildings and Public Parks, and by 1940, she was either assigned or transferred to the White House. (2) There, Lewis served through at least 1944 as a charwoman or maid for the Roosevelts. According to that year’s staff roster, she was on the night cleaning force for the West Wing. (3) She may have worked at the White House beyond that year, but information is limited. Nannie F. Lewis died on November 29, 1952, and was buried at Lincoln Memorial Cemetery in Suitland, Maryland. (4)
(1) Nannie F Lewis, 1940 United States Federal Census, Year: 1940; Census Place: Washington, District of Columbia, District of Columbia; Roll: m-t0627-00554; Page: 9A; Enumeration District: 1-42, Ancestry.com; “Nannie F. Lewis,” Find a Grave, https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/243825364/nannie-f-lewis.
(2) Boyd’s District of Columbia Directory (Washington, D.C.: R. L. Polk and Co., 1932), pg. 988; Boyd’s District of Columbia Directory (Washington, D.C.: R. L. Polk and Co., 1934), 980; Nannie F Lewis, 1940 United States Federal Census, Year: 1940; Census Place: Washington, District of Columbia, District of Columbia; Roll: m-t0627-00554; Page: 9A; Enumeration District: 1-42, Ancestry.com.
(3) "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) “Lewis, Nannie F.,” Evening Star (Washington, D.C.), December 1, 1952, pg. 14; “Nannie F. Lewis,” Find a Grave, https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/243825364/nannie-f-lewis.
Birthplace
Washington, D.C., USA