Juanito Malapit

Juanito Malapit was born in the Philippines on July 23, 1920.¹ He joined the U.S. Navy and served onboard the presidential yacht USS Williamsburg during Harry S. Truman’s presidency. In September 1949, newspapers reported that Malapit was a crewmember onboard the Williamsburg and had recently become a naturalized U.S. citizen.²

After his time onboard the Williamsburg, Malapit transferred to the White House, likely in 1953.³ White House Maid Lillian Rogers Parks explains in her memoir that First Lady Mamie Eisenhower requested three navy personnel be transferred to the White House to work as her personal attendants. According to Parks: “[Mamie Eisenhower] brought in two men from the Navy - Enrique Aflague, a Guamian, and Francisco Lim, a Filipino. Then the third member was added, a Filipino named Jaunito Malapit. All of them had to wait on the First Lady exclusively.” Parks elaborates further on their responsibilities: “[Mamie Eisenhower] had three Guamian [sic.] and Filipino housemen assigned to do nothing but wait on her. They took turns stationing themselves outside her door, to run errands and deliver messages. They also waited on her when she had her bridge friends in, and would go to Gettysburg” where the Eisenhowers owned a farmhouse “to take care of her there.”⁴ 

After the Eisenhowers left the White House in 1961, Malapit remained on staff, at least briefly. He was included on a White House staff list compiled that year under new First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy and identified as a houseman assigned to clean the Second and Third Floors of the Residence.⁵ His exact departure date from the White House is currently unclear. He does not appear on a staff list compiled in 1963, but he does appear on one created in 1971. It seems likely that he ceased working full-time at the White House sometime before 1963, and then either switched to working part-time on an as-needed basis, or was rehired closer to 1971.⁶ The 1971 list is the last known White House document in which Malapit appears. 

In honor of his work at the White House, Malapit received the Presidential Service Badge, created in 1960 to honor military personnel who work at the White House.⁷

Little is currently known about Malapit’s life after his White House work. Malapit passed away on January 22, 2016, and was buried in Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia.⁸