Servants of the White House

Standing: Jane Humphreys, Henry Harris, Beverly Lemas, Mary Monroe, Edgar R. Beckley, Telemachus Ford. Seated: Maria Rustin, Mary Waters, Winnie Monroe.

This image, taken in May 1877, is believed to be the first photograph ever taken of White House staff during Rutherford B. Hayes Administration (1877-1881). Henry Harris and Beverly Lemas were employed as waiters. Harris joined the staff in 1871 and Lemas in 1872. Edgar R. Beckley had been employed as a messenger at the White House since April 1869. Telemachus Ford and Jane Humphreys became part of the White House staff during the first weeks of the Hayes administration. Winnie Monroe, whose mother had been freed from slavery by Lucy Hayes' parents, served as the children's nurse and the family's cook during Hayes' years as governor. Winnie and her daughter Mary accompanied the Hayeses to Washington. When Hayes left office in 1881, Winnie returned with the family to Spiegel Grove. However, after the excitement of life in Washington, she soon grew bored. Within a matter of months, Winnie was on her way back to Washington where she lived until her death in 1886. Other staff members, not pictured, included T. F. Pendel, chief doorkeeper; and Charles Loeffler, the chief usher; and Billy Crump, White House steward. Crump served with Hayes in the Civil War. Isaiah Lancaster, the president's valet, had been with Hayes during his governorship.

Rutherford B. Hayes
Presidential Center