White House Historical Association

Floyd L. Ormsbee

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"Floyd L. Ormsbee," White House Workers History Project, White House Historical Association, 2026, https://whitehouseworkers.org/Detail/workers/1132.
Position
Carpenter
Years in President's House
circa 1961
Gender
Male
Race/Ethnicity
White
Presidency
John F. Kennedy
Biography

Floyd Littleton Ormsbee was born on April 16, 1900, in Fairfax, Virginia.1 He worked on a farm and later as a utility man in Washington, D.C.2 In the early 1950s, he was employed at Fort Lesley J. McNair, an army base in D.C., and by 1961, he worked as a carpenter in the Kennedy White House.3 White House carpenters construct furniture, stages, display cases, and other items for use onsite, and take on other tasks as needed including laying tile, installing windows and doors, repairing floors and locks, and more.4

Additional details about his work there, including the exact dates of his service, are unclear at this time. Ormsbee died on April 23, 1986, and was buried National Memorial Park in Idylwood, Virginia.5

  1. Floyd Littlelon Ormsbee, U.S., World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918, Registration State: Virginia; Registration County: Fairfax County, https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/6482/records/21721244?tid=5177545&pid=-1475015945&ssrc=pt. 
  2. Ibid; Floyd L Ormsbee in U.S., City Directories, 1822-1995, Ancestry.com. U.S., City Directories, 1822-1995 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011, https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/2469/records/1036899551. 
  3. “U.S. Worker Cut, Robbed At Church,” Washington Post, November 18, 1952, pg. 21; Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis Personal Papers. Textual Materials. Letitia Baldrige Files. Christmas: 1961 (2 of 2 folders). JBKOPP-SF037-009. John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum. 
  4. “Carpenter Foreman,” Undated, Folder: Personnel (Residence) – [Position Descriptions],  Office of the Executive Residence: Usher’s Office: Records, 1981-1989, Ronald Reagan Library.  
  5. “Floyd Littleton Ormsbee,” Find a Grave, https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/149202753/floyd-littleton-ormsbee. 
Birthplace
Fairfax, Virginia, USA
Burial Place
National Memorial Park
Blue markers indicate birthplaces and green markers indicate burial places. Black markers are used for places of both birth and burial.