White House Historical Association

James L. Berned

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"James Berned," White House Workers History Project, White House Historical Association, 2026, https://whitehouseworkers.org/Detail/workers/1206.
Position
Painter
Years in President's House
circa 1970 – 1982
Gender
Male
Race/Ethnicity
White
Presidencies
Richard M. Nixon
Gerald R. Ford
Jimmy Carter
Ronald Reagan
Biography

James Lee “Jimmy” Berned was born on June 8, 1918, in Shenandoah, Pennsylvania.1 During World War II, Berned served in the U.S. Army. Afterward, he worked as a painter in Washington, D.C., and as early as 1970, he held that role at the White House.2 

He eventually rose to the position of painter-foreman, overseeing the White House Paint Shop employees whose responsibilities include painting the interior and exterior of the building, hanging paper, glazing windows, and finishing or refinishing historic furnishings, picture frames, doors, or other architectural details.3 

He departed from the White House in 1982.4 Berned died on March 30, 1996, and was buried at Fort Lincoln Cemetery in Brentwood, Maryland.5

  1. “Birthdays,” Undated, folder: folder “Birthdays (Residence Staff),” box 29, Betty Ford White House Papers, Gerald R. Ford Library, https://www.fordlibrarymuseum.gov/sites/default/files/pdf_documents/library/document/0018/81556614.pdf; “James Lee Berned,” Find a Grave, https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/220140298/james-lee-berned; James Lee Berned 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: 17, https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/2238/records/6499728. 
  2. “Exchange Roles,” Goldsboro News-Argus (Goldsboro, NC), May 25, 1964, pg. 11; Untitled Staff List, April 1970, Collection: White House Usher’s Office; Series: Rex Scouten’s Subject File; Folder: Residence Employees; Container 5, Jimmy Carter Presidential Library. 
  3. “Painter Foreman,” Undated, Folder: Personnel (Residence) – [Position Descriptions],  Office of the Executive Residence: Usher’s Office: Records, 1981-1989, Ronald Reagan Library; White House Office of the Curator, e-mail message to author, March 16, 2026. 
  4. White House Office of the Curator, e-mail message to author, March 16, 2026.  
  5. “Berned, James L. Jimmy,” Washington Post, March 31, 1996, B8. 
Birthplace
Shenandoah, Pennsylvania, USA
Burial Place
Fort Lincoln Cemetery
Blue markers indicate birthplaces and green markers indicate burial places. Black markers are used for places of both birth and burial.