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1-Page Summary of Upstairs at the White House

Overview

This book is a memoir of J.B. West’s time spent working at the White House as an assistant usher and then as the chief usher, or general manager, for all of the staff it takes to run that household on a daily basis. The author also gives us insight into what life was like for each first lady he worked with during his tenure there, beginning with Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis and ending with Laura Bush.

West was never interested in working at the White House. He worked for the Veterans Administration when he got a chance to work there as an intern during World War II. He ended up staying until he retired in 1969, and didn’t expect to write this book either. Friends convinced him, colleagues encouraged him, and even two First Ladies asked him to do so. He also became inspired by a similar chronicle that a previous chief usher had written about his experiences from 1891-1933

West was a new addition to the White House staff when he met Mrs. Roosevelt, who was always running off to work on her causes or socialize with friends. West learned that President Franklin D. Roosevelt had polio but hid it from the public because of his popularity and power as president during World War II.

World War II created more work for the staff at the White House. They conducted air raid drills and built a bomb shelter to protect themselves from attacks. West was drafted into the Navy, but his duties kept him in Washington, D.C., where he married Zella and had two daughters during Truman’s presidency.

After the war ended, President Roosevelt died and his successor was Harry Truman. Office staff had to move quickly in order to transfer everything from the Roosevelt family home into the White House for Truman. Mrs. Roosevelt allowed her staff members to take whatever they wanted as a remembrance of their time working for her family. West chose a playpen that one of her grandchildren used while visiting them at their house.

Harry and Bess Truman were different from the Roosevelts. They were a close couple who lived frugally, unlike the Roosevelts. Harry was plain-looking, while Bess liked to portray herself as a housewife. She was involved in all her husband’s political decisions and he called her “the boss.”

The new first couple and the staff realized that the White House needed many repairs. They got money from Congress to fix it up, including adding a balcony for the president. The renovations took years, during which time they lived at Blair House nearby.

In 1952, Truman did not run for re-election and Dwight D. Eisenhower won the presidency in a landslide victory. Both men were popular war heroes who served during World War II. They met before the election to try to convince each other that they should switch parties.

Eisenhower’s wife, Mamie Eisenhower, portrayed herself as a typical American housewife. However, she was actually from a wealthy background and had servants. She also hung out with royalty during the war. Although she liked to sleep until noon and loved shopping at the dime store, she adored watching soap operas like As the World Turns.

The Trumans had to renovate the White House, as it needed a lot of work. However, most of the renovations were structural in nature and they also needed redecorating. As a military wife, Mrs. Eisenhower was used to making do with what she had available so she recycled furniture from government warehouses and borrowed artwork from national museums for her decorating efforts. She ran a frugal house where casseroles were frequently served because that’s all they could afford on their budget at the time. The Eisenhowers ate dinner off of TV trays just like other Americans did at that time too.