White House Social Secretary
The White House social secretary is responsible for the planning, coordination and execution of official social events at the White House, the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States.
White House Social Secretary | |
---|---|
Executive Office of the President White House Office | |
Appointer | Donald Trump as President of the United States |
Formation | October 2, 1901 |
First holder | Belle Hagner |
Website | The White House |
Function
The social secretary is head of the White House Social Office, located in the East Wing of the White House Complex. The social secretary plans events ranging from those as simple as a tea for the First Lady and a single official guest, to dinners for more than 200 guests. The social secretary works with the White House chief usher to coordinate domestic staff and with the chief of protocol of the United States, an official within the United States Department of State, to plan state visits and accompanying state dinners. The social secretary works with the White House Graphics and Calligraphy Office in the production of invitations to social events.
The social secretary works on both the political and non-political functions of the presidency, coordinating events for the president, the first lady, and senior political staff. The White House social secretary serves at the president's pleasure and is appointed by each administration.
First male and openly gay person to fill role
On February 25, 2011, the White House appointed Jeremy Bernard, the first male, and first openly gay, social secretary in that position's history. “I have long admired the arts and education programs that have become hallmarks of the Obama White House and I am eager to continue these efforts in the years ahead,” Bernard said during the announcing press conference.[1][2][3]
List of White House social secretaries
Social Secretary | Term of office | President | |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Belle Hagner[4] | 1901–1909 | Theodore Roosevelt |
2 | Alice Blech[5] | 1909–1910 | William Howard Taft |
3 | Mary Spiers[6] | 1910–1913 | |
4 | Belle Hagner[7] | 1913–1915 | Woodrow Wilson |
5 | Edith Benham Helm[8] | 1915–1921 | |
6 | Laura Harlan[9] | 1921–1923 | Warren G. Harding |
1923–1929[9] | Calvin Coolidge | ||
7 | Mary Randolph[10] | 1929–1931 | Herbert Hoover |
8 | Doris Goss[11] | 1931–1933 | |
9 | Edith Benham Helm[8] | 1933–1949 | Franklin D. Roosevelt |
1949–1953[8] | Harry S. Truman | ||
10 | Mary Jane McCaffree[12] | 1955–1961 | Dwight D. Eisenhower |
11 | Letitia Baldrige[13] | 1961–1963 | John F. Kennedy |
12 | Nancy Tuckerman[14] | 1963–1963 | |
13 | Bess Abell[15] | 1963–1969 | Lyndon B. Johnson |
14 | Lucy Winchester[16] | 1969–1974 | Richard Nixon |
15 | Nancy Lammerding Ruwe[17] | 1974–1975 | Gerald Ford |
16 | Maria Downs[18] | 1975–1977 | |
17 | Gretchen Poston[19] | 1977–1981 | Jimmy Carter |
18 | Mabel (Muffie) Brandon[20] | 1981–1983 | Ronald Reagan |
19 | Gahl Hodges[21] | 1983–1985 | |
20 | Linda Faulkner[22] | 1985–1989 | |
21 | Laurie Firestone[23] | 1989–1993 | George H.W. Bush |
22 | Ann Stock[24] | 1993–1997 | Bill Clinton |
23 | Capricia Marshall[25] | 1997–2001 | |
24 | Catherine Fenton[26] | 2001–2004 | George W. Bush |
25 | Lea Berman[27] | 2005–2007 | |
26 | Amy Zantzinger[28] | 2007–2009 | |
27 | Desirée Rogers[29] | 2009–2010 | Barack Obama |
28 | Julianna Smoot[30] | 2010–2011 | |
29 | Jeremy Bernard[31] | 2011–2015 | |
30 | Deesha Dyer[32] | 2015–2017 | |
31 | Anna Cristina Niceta Lloyd[33] | 2017–Present | Donald Trump |
References
- Brian Bolduc (2011-02-25). "White House Names First Male Social Secretary". NATIONAL REVIEW Online.
- Dunham, Richard S. (February 25, 2011). "Texan makes history as Obama social secretary". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved February 26, 2011.
- Henderson, Nia-Malika; Bacon, Perry, Jr. (February 25, 2011). "Obama makes history with social secretary pick". The Washington Post. Retrieved February 26, 2011.
- "TR Center - Isabella Hagner". Theodorerooseveltcenter.org. Retrieved 2017-03-01.
- "Alice Blech | Social Secretary Alice Blech. October 22, 1909…". Flickr. Retrieved 2017-03-01.
- "Walsenburg World March 17, 1910 — Colorado Historic Newspapers Collection". Coloradohistoricnewspapers.org. Retrieved 2017-03-01.
- "Social Secretary Quotes: Belle Hagner - White House Historical Association". Whitehousehistory.org. 1903-10-24. Retrieved 2017-03-01.
- "Social Secretary Quotes: Edith Benham Helm - White House Historical Association". Whitehousehistory.org. 1903-10-24. Retrieved 2017-03-01.
- "Social Secretary Quotes: Laura Harlan - White House Historical Association". Whitehousehistory.org. Retrieved 2017-03-01.
- "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-10-31. Retrieved 2016-10-30.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
- MaryAnne Borrelli (15 August 2011). The Politics of the President's Wife. Texas A&M University Press. pp. 62–. ISBN 978-1-60344-422-4.
- "Oral History of HONORABLE FRANK Q. NEBEKER" (PDF). Dcchs.org. August 12, 2003. Retrieved 2017-03-01.
- "ST-C186-1-63. First Lady's Social Secretary Nancy Tuckerman - John F. Kennedy Presidential Library & Museum". Jfklibrary.org. Retrieved 2017-03-01.
- "Reliable Source - Quoted: LBJ social secretary Bess Abell on her one White House dinner crashing problem". Voices.washingtonpost.com. 2010-05-07. Retrieved 2017-03-01.
- "Lucy A. Winchester". Nixonlibrary.gov. Archived from the original on 2016-12-31. Retrieved 2017-03-01.
- "Nancy Lammerding, Ford Aide, Is Married to L. Nicholas Ruwe". The New York Times. Retrieved 2017-03-01.
- "Maria Downs". Gerald R. Ford Foundation. 2009-06-18. Retrieved 2017-03-01.
- Blau, Eleanor (1992-01-08). "Gretchen Householder Poston, 59, Ex-White House Social Secretary". NYTimes.com. Retrieved 2017-03-01.
- Ginsburg, Ina (1981-05-17). "A Conversation With Muffie Brandon". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2017-03-01.
- "Social Secretary Quotes: Gahl Hodges Burt - White House Historical Association". Whitehousehistory.org. Retrieved 2017-03-01.
- "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2016-10-31. Retrieved 2016-10-30.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
- "Social Secretary Quotes: Laurie Firestone - White House Historical Association". Whitehousehistory.org. Retrieved 2017-03-01.
- "The Role of the White House Social Secretary". Washingtonpost.com. Retrieved 2017-03-01.
- "Social Secretary Quotes: Capricia Marshall - White House Historical Association". Whitehousehistory.org. Retrieved 2017-03-01.
- Irvin Molotsky (2001-01-09). "Laura Bush Designates Keepers of Her Calendar". The New York Times. Retrieved 2017-03-01.
- "Social Secretary Quotes: Lea Berman - White House Historical Association". Whitehousehistory.org. Retrieved 2017-03-01.
- "President Bush Names Amy Zantzinger as White House Social Secretary". Georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov. 2007-01-30. Retrieved 2017-03-01.
- "White House announces resignation of social secretary Desirée Rogers". Washingtonpost.com. Retrieved 2017-03-01.
- "White House social secretary Desiree Rogers resigns; Julianna Smoot named successor". Washingtonpost.com. 2010-02-27. Retrieved 2017-03-01.
- Perry, Mark. "Jeremy Bernard to step down as White House social secretary". Politico. Retrieved 2017-03-01.
- "White House Announces Deesha Dyer as Social Secretary". Whitehouse.gov. 2015-04-16. Retrieved 2017-03-01.
- Betsy Klein (February 8, 2017). "Melania Trump hires White House social secretary". CNN. Retrieved February 8, 2017.
Further reading
- Baldrige, Letitia. In the Kennedy Style: Magical Evenings in the Kennedy White House. Doubleday: 1998. ISBN 0-385-48964-1.
- Clinton, Hillary Rodham. An Invitation to the White House: At Home with History. Simon & Schuster: 2000. ISBN 0-684-85799-5.
- The White House: An Historic Guide. White House Historical Association and the National Geographic Society: 2001. ISBN 0-912308-79-6.