Wilson Roosevelt Jerman

Wilson Roosevelt Jerman (January 21, 1929 – May 16, 2020) was an American butler who served 11 different U.S. presidents in the White House. He was one of the White House's longest serving employees.[1]

Wilson Roosevelt Jerman
Wilson Jerman in 2004
Born(1929-01-21)January 21, 1929
Seaboard, North Carolina, U.S.
DiedMay 16, 2020(2020-05-16) (aged 91)
Woodbridge, Virginia, U.S.
OccupationWhite House butler
Children5

Biography

Jerman was born in Seaboard, North Carolina in 1929, the son of a farm worker. He dropped out of school at the age of 12 to work on a farm.[2] In 1955, he moved to Washington, D.C. and worked as a caterer before being hired as a cleaner by the White House in 1957 during the administration of Dwight D. Eisenhower.[3]

Jerman was promoted to butler under John F. Kennedy; Jackie Kennedy gave Jerman two signed paintings that he hung in his home.[1] He continued as a butler in the White House until his retirement in 1993 during the Bill Clinton administration. He returned to the White House in 2003 in the George W. Bush administration. He worked as a maitre d' and elevator operator for Barack Obama before his final retirement in 2012.[4]

To commemorate his 50-plus years of service in the White House, President Obama presented him with a series of plaques depicting all 11 presidents he served. First Lady Michelle Obama included a picture of her and the president in an elevator with Jerman in her best-selling memoir, Becoming.[5]

Jerman was married twice and had 5 children. His first wife, Gladys, died in 1966; Lyndon B. Johnson asked his personal physician to treat her before she died. His second wife, Helen, died in the 1990s.[6]

Jerman died at the age of 91 on May 16, 2020 from complications due to COVID-19.

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References
  1. "Former White House employee who served 11 presidents dies of coronavirus at 91". TODAY.com. Retrieved 2020-06-01.
  2. Levenson, Michael (May 21, 2020). "Wilson Jerman, Longtime White House Butler, Dies at 91". New York Times. Retrieved May 21, 2020.
  3. Duster, Chandelis (May 21, 2020). "Former White House butler who served 11 presidents dies after contracting coronavirus". CNN.com. Retrieved May 21, 2020.
  4. "Inside the Working White House: Early 21st Century". The White House Historical Association. Retrieved May 21, 2020.
  5. Madani, Dona (May 21, 2020). "Former White House employee who served 11 presidents dies of coronavirus at 91". NBC News. Retrieved May 21, 2020.
  6. Ruane, Michael E. (May 21, 2020). "Longtime White House butler and friend of presidents dies of covid-19". The Washington Post. Retrieved May 21, 2020.
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