William H. Lewis
- Position
- Florist
- Years in President's House
- circa 1961
- Gender
- Male
- Race/Ethnicity
- Black or African American
- Presidency
- John F. Kennedy
- Biography
William Harold Lewis was born on May 29, 1907, in Washington, D.C.1 According to the 1930 Census, he worked as a chauffeur for a private family.2 By 1940, he had switched career paths and worked at a flower shop in D.C. called Capital Florist.3
The only known record of Lewis’s employment at the White House is a list of Residence Staff compiled in 1961 during John F. Kennedy’s presidency. Lewis appeared on the list as one of the employees working in the flower shop.4 As a florist, Lewis helped design arrangements made of fresh flowers and greenery for public and private areas of the White House. He also likely assisted with decorations for State Dinners and other social events. It is currently unclear if Lewis worked at the White House prior to or after 1961. Little else is known about William H. Lewis at this time.
- “William Harold Lewis,” U.S., World War II Draft Cards Young Men, 1940-1947, accessed via Ancestry.com, https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/2238/records/6444664?tid=&pid=&queryId=1f4b7a7c-07f8-4b4c-8da3-704fb5c7d473&_phsrc=KCT3457&_phstart=successSource
- “William H Lewis,” 1930 United States Federal Census, accessed via Ancestry.com, https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/6224/records/121364033
- “William Harold Lewis,” U.S., World War II Draft Cards Young Men, 1940-1947, accessed via Ancestry.com.
- “Christmas: 1961 (2 of 2 folders),” Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis Personal Papers, John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum.
- Birthplace
- Washington, D.C., USA
- Burial Place
- Unclear from context
- Blue markers indicate birthplaces and green markers indicate burial places. Black markers are used for places of both birth and burial.