General L. Cooke
- Position
- Doorkeeper
- Years in President's House
- 1965 – 1981
- Gender
- Male
- Race/Ethnicity
- Black or African American
- Biography
General Lee Cooke was born in Halifax County, Virginia, on June 15, 1913.1 In the 1940s, Cooke worked in Washington, D.C., at 2460 16th Street NW– the historic building was once home to the French Embassy, but by this time, it functioned as a church and boarding house; his duties there are unclear.2 By 1950, he worked as a Pullman porter for the Pullman Company of sleeping rail cars. The company was the largest employer of African Americans in the country, and many Pullman porters went on to work at the White House due to their high standards of service and professionalism.3
Indeed, Cooke joined the White House staff as a doorman in 1965, and remained in the role through 1981.4 White House doormen deliver mail, messages, and packages within the White House, open doors and operate elevators, carry luggage, and direct guests.5 Further information about his life is limited at this time.
- “Birthdays,” Undated, folder: folder “Birthdays (Residence Staff),” box 29, Betty Ford White House Papers, Gerald R. Ford Library; General Lee Cooke in U.S., World War II Draft Cards Young Men, 1940-1947, National Archives at St. Louis; St. Louis, Missouri; Wwii Draft Registration Cards For District of Columbia, 10/16/1940-03/31/1947; Record Group: Records of the Selective Service System, 147; Box: 48, Ancestry, https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/2238/records/6521799.
- Ibid; “Old French Embassy,” DC Historic Sites, https://historicsites.dcpreservation.org/items/show/444.
- “Pullman Porters,” Pullman National Historical Park, National Park Service, https://www.nps.gov/pull/learn/historyculture/pullman-porters.htm; General L Cook, 1950 United States Federal Census, National Archives at Washington, DC; Washington, D.C.; Seventeenth Census of the United States, 1950; Year: 1950; Census Place: Washington, Washington, District of Columbia; Roll: 477; Page: 5; Enumeration District: 1-737, Ancestry, https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/62308/records/15170925.
- White House Office of the Curator, e-mail message to author, March 16, 2026; U.S. Congress, House Committee on Appropriations (Treasury, Postal Service, and General Government Appropriations) Vol. 1 (1974), pg. 47-48.
- “Doorman,” Undated, Folder: Personnel (Residence) – [Position Descriptions], Office of the Executive Residence: Usher’s Office: Records, 1981-1989, Ronald Reagan Library.
- Birthplace
- Halifax County, Virginia, 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.
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