White House Office of the Curator

This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. Please help to improve this article by introducing more precise citations. (August 2009) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

White House Curator

Incumbent Lydia Tederick
Executive Residence
Appointer	President of the United States
Formation	1961; 63 years ago (1961)
First holder	Lorraine Waxman Pearce
Website	www.whitehouse.gov

A marble bust of George Washington by sculptor Giuseppe Ceracchi (1751–1801) receives conservation work in the China Room.

The White House Office of the Curator is charged with the conservation and study of the collection of fine art, furniture, and decorative objects used to furnish both the public and private rooms of the White House as an official residence and as an accredited historic house museum.^[1]

The office began in 1961 during the administration of President John F. Kennedy while First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy oversaw the restoration of the White House.^[2] The office is located in the ground floor of the White House Executive Residence. The office, headed by the curator of the White House, includes an associate curator, an assistant curator, and a curatorial assistant. The office works with the chief usher, the Committee for the Preservation of the White House, and the White House Historical Association.

The most recent White House curator is Lydia Tederick, appointed in 2017. Previously it was William G. Allman, who was appointed by President George W. Bush in 2002 and retired in June 2017.^[3]

Curators' charge

[edit]

The curator of the White House, or less formally White House curator, is head of the White House Office of the Curator which is charged with the conservation and study of the collection of fine art, furniture, and decorative objects used to furnish both the public and private rooms of the White House.

The first curator of the White House was Lorraine Waxman Pearce, appointed in March 1961. Pearce graduated from the preservation program at the Henry Francis du Pont Winterthur Museum.

Curators of the White House

[edit]

To date, eight curators have served in the White House; they are:

No.	Name (Birth–Death)	Term of office	President(s)
Post established in 1961
1	Lorraine Waxman Pearce (1934–2017)	1961–1962	John F. Kennedy
2	William Voss Elder III (1932–2014)	1962–1963	John F. Kennedy
3	James R. Ketchum (1939–)	1963–1969	John F. Kennedy Lyndon B. Johnson Richard Nixon
4	Clement Conger (1912–2004)	1970–1986	Richard Nixon Gerald Ford Jimmy Carter Ronald Reagan
5	Rex Scouten (1924–2013)	1986–1997	Ronald Reagan George H. W. Bush Bill Clinton
6	Betty C. Monkman	1997–2002	Bill Clinton George W. Bush
7	William G. Allman (1952–)	2002–2017	George W. Bush Barack Obama Donald Trump
8	Lydia Tederick (1955–)	2017–present	Donald Trump Joe Biden

Footnotes

[edit]

^ "Hail to the Chief Curator". White House Historical Association. Retrieved 20 January 2022.
^ "Curator's Office". The White House Museum.
^ Thompson, Krissah; Koncius, Jura. "White House curator to retire after working with first families for decades". The Washington Post. Retrieved 29 January 2018.

References

[edit]

Abbott James A., and Elaine M. Rice. Designing Camelot: The Kennedy White House Restoration. Van Nostrand Reinhold: 1998. ISBN 0-442-02532-7.
Garrett, Wendell. Our Changing White House. Northeastern University Press: 1995. ISBN 1-55553-222-5.
Monkman, Betty C. The White House: The Historic Furnishing & First Families. Abbeville Press: 2000. ISBN 0-7892-0624-2.
The White House: An Historic Guide. White House Historical Association and the National Geographic Society: 2001. ISBN 0-912308-79-6.

External links

[edit]

White House website biography of curator William G. Allman

v t e Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis
Life events	Hammersmith Farm Hickory Hill Kennedy Compound Wexford 1040 Fifth Avenue First Lady of the United States White House restoration Televised White House tour Tour of India and Pakistan White House Historical Association White House Curator Committee for the Preservation of the White House Assassination of John F. Kennedy State funeral of John F. Kennedy John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum Eternal Flame and burial site
Fashion	Wedding dress of Jacqueline Bouvier Pink Chanel suit
Honors and memorials	Jacqueline Kennedy Garden Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis High School for International Careers Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Reservoir Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School ballet
Related	Cultural depictions Jackie O (1997 opera) Jackie (2016 film)
Family	John F. Kennedy (first husband, presidency) Aristotle Onassis (second husband) Caroline Kennedy (daughter) John F. Kennedy Jr. (son) Patrick Bouvier Kennedy (son) Jack Schlossberg (grandson) Rose Schlossberg (granddaughter) Tatiana Schlossberg (granddaughter) John Vernou Bouvier III (father) Janet Lee Bouvier (mother) Lee Radziwill (sister) Hugh D. Auchincloss (stepfather) Janet Auchincloss Rutherfurd (half-sister) Edith Ewing Bouvier (aunt) Edith Bouvier Beale (cousin) James T. Lee (grandfather) John Vernou Bouvier Jr. (grandfather) Pushinka (dog)

White House

Executive
Residence

Basement	Basement Chief Floral Designer
Ground floor	China Room collection Office of the Curator Diplomatic Reception Room Library Map Room Vermeil Room
State floor	Blue Room Cross Hall East Room Entrance Hall Family Dining Room Grand Staircase Green Room Red Room South Portico State Dining Room Chief Usher
Second floor	Center Hall Dressing Room East Bedroom East Sitting Hall Family Kitchen Lincoln Bedroom Lincoln Sitting Room President's Bedroom President's Dining Room Private Sitting Room Queens' Bedroom Queens' Sitting Room Treaty Room Truman Balcony West Bedroom West Sitting Hall Yellow Oval Room
Third floor	Center Hall Diet Kitchen Linen Room Music Room Sun Room Workout Room
Roof	Flagpole Solar panels

West Wing

East Wing

Grounds

Annex

Nearby
streets

Other

v t e Executive Office of the United States President
Executive Office	Advisory Boards (Council for Community Solutions, Corporation for National and Community Service, Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, President's Intelligence Advisory Board, President's Management Advisory Board) Council of Economic Advisers Council on Environmental Quality Digital Service Executive Residence (Committee for the Preservation of the White House, Office of the Curator, Office of the Chief Usher, Office of the Chief Floral Designer, Office of the Executive Chef, Graphics and Calligraphy Office) National Space Council National Security Council (Deputies Committee) Homeland Security Council Office of Administration (Office of Mail and Messenger Operations, Office of the Chief Financial Officer, Office of the Chief Administrative Officer) Office of Management and Budget (Office of the Chief Performance Officer, Office of E-Government and Information Technology, Office of Federal Financial Management, Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs) Office of National Drug Control Policy Office of Science and Technology Policy (Office of the Chief Technology Officer, National Science and Technology Council) Office of the Trade Representative Office of the Vice President (Office of the Chief of Staff)
White House Office	Office of Cabinet Affairs Office of the Chief of Staff (Office of Senior Advisors) Office of Communications (Office of Media Affairs, Office of Research, Office of the Press Secretary, Office of Speechwriting) Counsel Counselor to the President Office of Digital Strategy Domestic Policy Council (Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships, Office of National AIDS Policy, Office of Social Innovation and Civic Participation, Rural Council) Fellows First Lady (Office of the Social Secretary) Office of the National Security Advisor (Homeland Security Advisor) Gun Violence Prevention Intergovernmental Affairs Legislative Affairs Management and Administration (White House Operations, White House Personnel, Visitors Office) National Economic Council National Trade Council Oval Office Operations (Personal Secretary) Office of Political Affairs Presidential Innovation Fellows Presidential Personnel Public Engagement (Council on Women and Girls, Jewish Liaison, Urban Affairs) Scheduling and Advance Staff Secretary (Executive Clerk, Presidential Correspondence, Office of Records Management) Military Office (Communications Agency, Medical Unit, Presidential Food Service, Transportation Agency)

Curators' charge

Curators of the White House

See also

Footnotes

References

External links