Edward Mannix

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"Edward Mannix," White House Workers History Project, White House Historical Association, 2026, https://whha.whirlihost.com/Detail/workers/986.

Position: Custodian
Years in President's House: circa 1940 – 1947
Legal Status: Free Person
Gender: Male
Race/Ethnicity: White
Presidencies: Franklin D. Roosevelt; Harry S. Truman
Biography: Edward Mannix was born in County Kerry, Ireland on June 11, 1873. He immigrated to the United States in 1892, and later became a naturalized citizen. (1) For much of his career, he worked as a government foreman, overseeing laborers at the State, War, and Navy Building, the Commerce Department, and later, the White House. (2) He is first listed on staff there in the 1940 Census as a “laborer foreman running White House.” (3) A 1944 White House staff roster calls him foreman of the night cleaning force in the West Wing; the roster also lists several maids who reported to Mr. Mannix. (4) In October 1947, President Truman’s assistant, John R. Steelman, wrote Chief Usher Howell G. Crim: “Will you please advise Mr. Mannix to continue to clean my office as well as my staff offices on the first floor, and the office on the top floor of the East Wing…” providing further insight into his duties and placing him on staff through at least that date. (5) It is likely that he worked at the White House beyond 1947, but information is limited. Edward Mannix died on April 25, 1956, and was buried at Mount Olivet Cemetery in Washington, D.C. (6)
: (1) Edward Virnnix 1910 United States Federal Census, Year: 1910; Census Place: Precinct 7, Washington, District of Columbia; Roll: T624_152; Page: 2b; Enumeration District: 0126; FHL microfilm: 1374165, Ancestry.com; Edward Mannix, Virginia, U.S., Death Records, 1912-2014, Ancestry.com. Virginia, U.S., Death Records, 1912-2014 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2015.
(2) Edward Mannix, 1920 United States Federal Census, Year: 1920; Census Place: Washington, Washington, District of Columbia; Roll: T625_210; Page: 8A; Enumeration District: 154, Ancestry.com; Boyd’s District of Columbia Directory (Washington, D.C.: R. L. Polk and Co., 1922), 1085.
(3) Edward E Mannix, 1940 United States Federal Census, Year: 1940; Census Place: Washington, District of Columbia, District of Columbia; Roll: m-t0627-00566; Page: 27A; Enumeration District: 1-402, Ancestry.com.
(4) "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.
(5)“Memorandum for Mr. Crim,” October 11, 1947, Harry S. Truman Papers: White House Central Files: Permanent File, Harry S. Truman Library.
(6) “Edward J. Mannix,” Find a Grave, https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/101608673/edward-j.-mannix; “Mannix, Edward,” Evening Star (Washington, D.C.), April 26, 1956, pg. 30.
Birthplace: County Kerry, Ireland

Related Workers: Howell G. Crim
Ushers, Stewards, and Doorkeepers, circa 1930 – 1957; Martha E. M. Moore
Housekeeping and Laundry, circa 1944 – 1950