White House Historical Association

Harry C. Moffatt

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"Harry C. Moffatt," White House Workers History Project, White House Historical Association, 2026, https://whha.whirlihost.com/Detail/workers/989.
Position
Engineer
Years in President's House
circa 1943 – 1944
Legal Status
Free Person
Gender
Male
Race/Ethnicity
White
Presidency
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Biography
Harry Clarence Moffatt was born on June 27, 1902, in North Sydney, Nova Scotia. He later immigrated to the United States and became a naturalized citizen in 1932. (1) By 1942, he was working in the electric shop for the Department of the Interior’s National Capital Parks unit. He may have been assigned to the White House, because just one year later, he appears on First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt’s staff Christmas list as an engineer. (2) Moffatt is listed in the same role the following year on the 1944 White House staff roster. (3) By 1947, government records listed his occupation as “spot welder,” but no place of work was given. (4) Further details about his career are scarce, but in 1972 he and his wife Essie relocated to Florida. (5) Harry C. Moffatt died on December 8, 1977, and was buried at Lady Lake Cemetery in Lake County, Florida. (6)
(1) Harry Clarence Moffat 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: 161, Ancestry.com.
(2) "Christmas List for December 25, 1943 for the Men and & Wife & Children Up to 14 Years of Age," 1943, Folder: Christmas Lists; Topical File, 1933-1945, Anna Eleanor Roosevelt Papers, Part 1, 1884-1964, Franklin D. Roosevelt Library, Hyde Park, New York.
(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) Harry C Moffett, Virginia, U.S., Marriage Records, 1936-2014, Virginia Department of Health; Richmond, Virginia; Virginia, Marriages, 1936-2014; Roll: 101169547, Ancestry.com.
(5) “Harry Clarence Moffatt,” Find a Grave, https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/126759399/harry-clarence-moffatt; “Harry C. Moffatt,” The Free Lance Star (Fredericksburg, Virginia), December 16, 1977, pg. 18.
Birthplace
North Sydney, Nova Scotia, Canada