White House Historical Association

Rockwood L. Peyton

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"Rockwood L. Peyton," White House Workers History Project, White House Historical Association, 2026, https://whitehouseworkers.org/Detail/workers/1226.
Position
Houseman
Years in President's House
circa 1970 – 1998
Gender
Male
Race/Ethnicity
Black or African American
Presidencies
Richard M. Nixon
Gerald R. Ford
Jimmy Carter
Ronald Reagan
George H. W. Bush
Bill Clinton
Biography

Rockwood Lane “Billie” Peyton was born on August 24, 1932, in Culpeper, Virginia.1 Peyton served as a corporal in the U.S. Army during the Korean War.2 

As early as 1970, Peyton worked part-time on the White House housekeeping staff, and in 1975, he was hired full-time as a houseman.3 His job involved cleaning and organizing rooms, moving furniture, and keeping both public and private areas tidy. Peyton eventually became lead houseman, and he worked at the White House until 1998.4 

Peyton passed away on January 17, 2008, and was buried at National Memorial Cemetery at Quantico in Virginia.5

  1. Rockwood Lane Peyton in U.S., Korean War Era Draft Cards, 1948-1959, National Archives at St. Louis; St. Louis, Missouri; Record Group: Records of the Selective Service System, 1926–1975; Record Group Number: 147; Series: Post-WWII through Vietnam Era Selective Service Records, Virginia; Series Number: 147-76-29, https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/62234/records/1159190; “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; “Rockwood Lane Peyton ‘Billie,’” Washington Post, January 20, 2008, pg. C9. 
  2. “Rockwood Lane Peyton,” Find a Grave, https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/60135019/rockwood-lane-peyton. 
  3. 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; Rex Scouten to Jane Dannenhauer, December 2, 1975 in Jane Dannenhauer Files, Gerald R. Ford Library. 
  4. White House Office of the Curator, e-mail message to author, March 16, 2026. 
  5.  “Rockwood Lane Peyton ‘Billie,’” Washington Post, January 20, 2008, pg. C9; “Rockwood Lane Peyton,” Find a Grave, https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/60135019/rockwood-lane-peyton. 
Birthplace
Culpeper, Virginia, USA
Burial Place
National Memorial Cemetery at Quantico
Blue markers indicate birthplaces and green markers indicate burial places. Black markers are used for places of both birth and burial.