White House Historical Association

Sallie A. Davis

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"Sallie A. Davis," White House Workers History Project, White House Historical Association, 2026, https://whitehouseworkers.org/Detail/workers/1209.
Position
Kitchen Assistant
Years in President's House
1973 – 1993
Gender
Female
Presidencies
Richard M. Nixon
Gerald R. Ford
Jimmy Carter
Ronald Reagan
George H. W. Bush
Bill Clinton
Biography
Sallie Ann Davis (nee Sykes) was born on May 13, 1918, in Goldsboro, North Carolina.1 Information about her life is limited, but beginning in 1973, she worked in the White House as a kitchen steward.2 In this role, Davis washed dishes, cleaned kitchen appliances, assisted with food preparation, and maintained the general appearance of culinary spaces at the White House.3 Davis left the White House in 1993.4 She passed away on February 13, 2000.5
  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; Sallie Davis, U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007, Ancestry.com. U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2015, https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/60901/records/46408428?tid=&pid=&queryId=4f207cdd-69e6-419c-bb72-a105b98d255a&_phsrc=WwA897&_phstart=successSource. 
  2. White House Office of the Curator, e-mail message to author, March 16, 2026; “Executive Residence Alphabetical Personnel Roster,” 88-09-03, folder Personnel (Residence) - [Staffing Reports] (2), Office of the Executive Residence: Usher’s Office: Records, 1981-1989, Ronald Reagan Library. 
  3. “Kitchen Steward,” Undated, Folder: Personnel (Residence) – [Position Descriptions],  Office of the Executive Residence: Usher’s Office: Records, 1981-1989, Ronald Reagan Library.  
  4. White House Office of the Curator, e-mail message to author, March 16, 2026. 
  5.  Sallie Davis, U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007, Ancestry.com. U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2015, https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/60901/records/46408428?tid=&pid=&queryId=4f207cdd-69e6-419c-bb72-a105b98d255a&_phsrc=WwA897&_phstart=successSource. 
Birthplace
Goldsboro, North Carolina, 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.