Sunday, April 8, 2018

Upstairs at the White House written by J.B. West


      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. 




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