The White House has been the residence of every American president except George Washington, who chose its location and supervised its construction. The White House must serve the needs of the presidential family, just as any American home serves its occupants.
Enslaved African American stonecutters, masons, and laborers built the White House. Most of the works crews were composed of emigrant skilled workers and indentured laborers. The planner of the federal city, Pierre Charles L'Enfant, was French. The designer of the President’s House, James Hoban, was Irish.
From cooks to plumbers to US Secret Service agents, a look behind the scenes at today’s White House illustrates the diversity of people and professions who come together to make the site work. Permanent residence staff that continue from one administration to the next work closely with special assistants who serve a particular president.
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 With the assassination of President William McKinley, Theodore Roosevelt became the 26th President of the United States (1901 - 09). He brought new excitement and power to the office, vigorously leading Congress and the American public toward progressive reforms and a strong foreign policy.  First Lady, diplomat, and activist, Eleanor Roosevelt dedicated her life in the cause of civil liberties and human rights.  As the 19th President of the United States (1877-1881), Rutherford B. Hayes oversaw the end of Reconstruction, began the efforts that led to civil service reform, and attempted to reconcile the divisions left over from the Civil War.  Julia Dent Grant was the loving wife of Ulysses S. Grant and caring mother to their four children. She was also a widely-respected First Lady who was the first to write a personal memoir about her life.  The only US President elected to serve four terms, Franklin Delano Roosevelt led the nation through the Great Depression and World War II.  President Harry S Truman took America from its traditional isolationism into the age of international involvement. Despite his power, he never forgot where he came from. Today, visitors can experience the surroundings Truman knew as a young man of modest ambition through his political career and final years as a former president.  Andrew Johnson was a Tennessee politician and Vice President of the United States who ascended to the presidency in April 1865 upon the death of Abraham Lincoln. His benign approach to the reintegration of Southerners into the Union following the Civil War contributed to his impeachment in 1868, which failed in the Senate by a single vote.  President Lincoln's leadership of the United States of America through the cataclysm of the Civil War ranks as one of the finest presidencies in American history.  Ulysses S. Grant was one of the most important figures of 19th century America. He was a quiet family man who had worked as a farmer in St. Louis, Missouri, and as a store clerk in Galena, Illinois, before the Civil War. He rose to become President Lincoln's trusted general in charge of the entire U.S. Army during the war and later a two-term president.  Rosalynn Carter was a first lady on the brink of social change. After the Vietnam War and the Watergate scandal, societal distrust in political positions like the presidency was high. However, the Carters ran a campaign using things that appealed to the country in a time of change and distrust. Jimmy Carter pledged to citizens that he would bring a sense of normalcy and morality back into the presidential office. Part of the reason he was so convincing was because of Rosalynn
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