Imagine you were given a job at the
White House, not just any job but being an Assistant to the Chief Usher! The
job title of being the assistant to the Chief Usher is to help the Chief Usher
take care of The First Lady, The President of the United States, and their
family. The Chief Usher’s job was to be in charge of the White House. For
instance, you had to make sure everything ran smoothly and on schedule, and
made sure all of the Department Heads did their job right so the First Lady and
her husband, the President of the United States are safe and happy.
Upstairs at the White House was written
by J.B. West who told his story about working along side The President of the
United States and The First Lady beginning as Assistant to the Chief Usher and
was later promoted to Chief Usher. J.B. first stated as Assistant Chief Usher
with President Franklin D. Roosevelt and his wife Eleanor. Next came Vice
President Harry Truman and First Lady, Bess, after Franklin D. Roosevelt passed
away. Finally, President Dwight Eisenhower and First Lady, Mary "Mamie", entered into
the White House when Dwight was elected President. When J.B. was promoted to
Chief Usher he first served John F. Kennedy and First Lady, Jacqueline,
famously known as Jackie. After John F. Kennedy passed away, J.B. served Vice
President Lyndon B. and The First Lady, “Lady Bird” Johnson. Even though J.B. worked for the
President of the United States, his main priority was serving The First Lady.
He told stories of each First Lady and President and everything that happened
behind the scenes with the other White House staff, President, and First Lady
that we may not know about, unless you
are a History Buff and your best friends are named History Book and Google. For
example, when John F. Kennedy was President of the United States, he and Jackie
Kennedy had interesting animals that roamed the White House property such as,
peacocks, ducks, and deer for a short time before they were relocated. Why?
First, when The Kennedys built a pond out front of the White House for the
ducks to swim in where the tourists can see, their little daughter Caroline,
would fall into the fountain and be laughed at by the tourists! Therefore, the
ducks were relocated somewhere else. Next, when Jackie Kennedy wanted deer and
peacocks on the White House lawn, the local zoo told J.B. that they were
dangerous and unpredictable, so they had be relocated as well. Overall, J.B. did tell some interesting
stories that happened around the White House for every President and First Lady
who has lived in the White House.
Not only would the
reader learn about the President and The First Lady, they would also learn
about the changes the White House faced itself. For example, when Franklin D.
and Eleanor Roosevelt were in office, there was no A/C; everyone had to walk up
and down the stairs because elevators were not installed. Also, the kitchen
staff had to wash dishes by hand because dishwashers were not installed and The
President and The First Lady had to use wardrobes because built in closets were
not in the bedrooms or sitting rooms. When Harry Truman was reelected President, he and Bess were
relocated to Blair House, which is a private house for the President and his
family. Since the White House had to be rebuilt from the inside because of poor
foundation, the new changes in the White House included, A/C, dishwashers, an elevator,
and built in closets!
In concluding, I
would recommend Upstairs at the White
House to anyone who is curious to know what happened inside the White House
and what kind of Presidents
and First Ladies were like. Also, learn all of the changes that the White House
had to go through when the United States gets a new President and First Lady. Finally,
learn about the tragic or happy events that went on inside the White House and
how the President, The First Lady, and White House Staff handled the situation.
Trivia Questions:
1) What kind of Bible did Harry Truman's staff use for his inauguration?
2) Which First Lady threw one too many parties at a time that she mostly forgot who she invited?
3) Which First Lady "borrowed" twenty portraits of proud American Indians, painted by, George Catlin, from the Smithsonian and put them on display upstairs in the hall way at the White House?
4) Which First Lady accidentally used pen ink to help with a stopped up nose?
5) Which First Lady grew up in Nevada on a farm as an orphan and had to educate herself?
Bonus Questions:
1) Which Kennedy room did Luci Johnson (daughter of Lyndon B. and "Lady Bird" Johnson) change up to make it her own private room so she can hangout with her friends and have some privacy?
2) Which US President would skinny dip in the pool at the White House?
3) Which First Lady was pregnant during her husband's presidency but the baby ended up dying due to a premature birth?
West, J. B. Upstairs At the White House: My Life with the First Ladies. New York: Coward, McCann & Geoghegan, 1973. Print.
