Jump to content

White House Social Secretary

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
White House Social Secretary
Incumbent
Carlos Elizondo
since January 20, 2021
Executive Office of the President
White House Office
AppointerJoe Biden
as President of the United States
FormationOctober 2, 1901; 122 years ago (1901-10-02)
First holderBelle Hagner
WebsiteThe White House

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.

Function[edit]

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.

Notable office-holders[edit]

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]

Betty Ford with former Social Secretaries

List of White House social secretaries[edit]

No. Image 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] 1933–1945 Franklin D. Roosevelt
1945–1953[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][16] 1963–1969 Lyndon B. Johnson
14 Lucy Winchester[17] 1969–1974 Richard Nixon
15 Nancy Lammerding Ruwe[18] 1974–1975 Gerald Ford
16 Maria Downs[19] 1975–1977
17 Gretchen Poston[20] 1977–1981 Jimmy Carter
18 Mabel (Muffie) Brandon[21] 1981–1983 Ronald Reagan
19 Gahl Hodges[22] 1983–1985
20 Linda Faulkner[23] 1985–1989
21 Laurie Firestone[24] 1989–1993 George H. W. Bush
22 Ann Stock[25] 1993–1997 Bill Clinton
23 Capricia Marshall[26] 1997–2001
24 Catherine Fenton[27] 2001–2004 George W. Bush
25 Lea Berman[28] 2005–2007
26 Amy Zantzinger[29] 2007–2009
27 Desirée Rogers[30] 2009–2010 Barack Obama
28 Julianna Smoot[31] 2010–2011
29 Jeremy Bernard[32] 2011–2015
30 Deesha Dyer[33] 2015–2017
31 Anna Cristina Niceta Lloyd[34] 2017–2021[35] Donald Trump
32 Carlos Elizondo[36] 2021–present Joe Biden

References[edit]

  1. ^ Brian Bolduc (2011-02-25). "White House Names First Male Social Secretary". NATIONAL REVIEW Online.
  2. ^ Dunham, Richard S. (February 25, 2011). "Texan makes history as Obama social secretary". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved February 26, 2011.
  3. ^ Henderson, Nia-Malika; Bacon, Perry Jr. (February 25, 2011). "Obama makes history with social secretary pick". The Washington Post. Retrieved February 26, 2011.
  4. ^ "TR Center - Isabella Hagner". Theodorerooseveltcenter.org. Retrieved 2017-03-01.
  5. ^ "Alice Blech | Social Secretary Alice Blech. October 22, 1909…". Flickr. Retrieved 2017-03-01.
  6. ^ "Walsenburg World March 17, 1910 — Colorado Historic Newspapers Collection". Coloradohistoricnewspapers.org. Retrieved 2017-03-01.
  7. ^ "Social Secretary Quotes: Belle Hagner - White House Historical Association". Whitehousehistory.org. 1903-10-24. Retrieved 2017-03-01.
  8. ^ Jump up to: a b c "Social Secretary Quotes: Edith Benham Helm - White House Historical Association". Whitehousehistory.org. 1903-10-24. Retrieved 2017-03-01.
  9. ^ Jump up to: a b "Social Secretary Quotes: Laura Harlan - White House Historical Association". Whitehousehistory.org. Retrieved 2017-03-01.
  10. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-10-31. Retrieved 2016-10-30.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  11. ^ 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.
  12. ^ "Oral History of HONORABLE FRANK Q. NEBEKER" (PDF). Dcchs.org. August 12, 2003. Retrieved 2017-03-01.
  13. ^ [1][dead link]
  14. ^ "ST-C186-1-63. First Lady's Social Secretary Nancy Tuckerman - John F. Kennedy Presidential Library & Museum". Jfklibrary.org. Retrieved 2017-03-01.
  15. ^ "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.
  16. ^ Katharine Q. Seelye (2020-10-18). "Bess Abell, Social Secretary in Johnson White House, Dies at 87". The New York Times. Retrieved 2020-10-20.
  17. ^ "Lucy A. Winchester". Nixonlibrary.gov. Archived from the original on 2016-12-31. Retrieved 2017-03-01.
  18. ^ "Nancy Lammerding, Ford Aide, Is Married to L. Nicholas Ruwe". The New York Times. Retrieved 2017-03-01.
  19. ^ "Maria Downs". Gerald R. Ford Foundation. 2009-06-18. Retrieved 2017-03-01.
  20. ^ Blau, Eleanor (1992-01-08). "Gretchen Householder Poston, 59, Ex-White House Social Secretary". The New York Times. Retrieved 2017-03-01.
  21. ^ Ginsburg, Ina (1981-05-17). "A Conversation With Muffie Brandon". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2017-03-01.
  22. ^ "Social Secretary Quotes: Gahl Hodges Burt - White House Historical Association". Whitehousehistory.org. Retrieved 2017-03-01.
  23. ^ "FAULKNER, LINDA: Files, 1981-1989 – REAGAN LIBRARY COLLECTIONS". Archived from the original on 2016-10-31. Retrieved 2016-10-30.
  24. ^ "Social Secretary Quotes: Laurie Firestone - White House Historical Association". Whitehousehistory.org. Retrieved 2017-03-01.
  25. ^ "The Role of the White House Social Secretary". Washingtonpost.com. Retrieved 2017-03-01.
  26. ^ "Social Secretary Quotes: Capricia Marshall - White House Historical Association". Whitehousehistory.org. Retrieved 2017-03-01.
  27. ^ Irvin Molotsky (2001-01-09). "Laura Bush Designates Keepers of Her Calendar". The New York Times. Retrieved 2017-03-01.
  28. ^ "Social Secretary Quotes: Lea Berman - White House Historical Association". Whitehousehistory.org. Retrieved 2017-03-01.
  29. ^ "President Bush Names Amy Zantzinger as White House Social Secretary". whitehouse.gov. 2007-01-30. Retrieved 2017-03-01 – via National Archives.
  30. ^ "White House announces resignation of social secretary Desirée Rogers". Washingtonpost.com. Retrieved 2017-03-01.
  31. ^ "White House social secretary Desiree Rogers resigns; Julianna Smoot named successor". Washingtonpost.com. 2010-02-27. Retrieved 2017-03-01.
  32. ^ Perry, Mark. "Jeremy Bernard to step down as White House social secretary". Politico. Retrieved 2017-03-01.
  33. ^ "White House Announces Deesha Dyer as Social Secretary". whitehouse.gov. 2015-04-16. Retrieved 2017-03-01 – via National Archives.
  34. ^ Betsy Klein (February 8, 2017). "Melania Trump hires White House social secretary". CNN. Retrieved February 8, 2017.
  35. ^ FiveThirtyEight (2021-01-05). "Live Updates: Unrest In Washington And The Electoral Vote Certification". FiveThirtyEight. Retrieved 2021-01-07.
  36. ^ Michael Crowley (November 20, 2020). "Biden-Harris team announces additional staff appointments". New York Times. Retrieved November 20, 2020.

Further reading[edit]

External links[edit]

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=White_House_Social_Secretary&oldid=1149400846"