Steve E. Martini

Steve Egiziano Martini was born in Greenville, Mississippi on April 28, 1912.¹ He later lived in both New Jersey and New York, learning the family business from his father, a barber.² Martini moved to Washington, D.C. in 1942, and during World War II, he worked at the Pentagon, cutting the hair of notable men including generals George C. Marshall and Dwight D. Eisenhower.³

After the war, Steve’s son, Stephen Martini, recalled that his father “opened a two-chair barber shop in Washington” but “the family struggled financially in those post-war times” until Secret Service officers visited the shop unexpectedly one day. According to Stephen, “[President] Eisenhower...remembered the barber who had cut his hair during the war and sent for him.”⁴ He went on to serve as barber to presidents Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, and Nixon. Martini also cut the hair of cabinet members, and other government officials in a small barber shop in the West Wing of the White House.⁵ He even styled first family members, giving Lyndon B. Johnson’s grandson Patrick Lyndon Nugent his first haircut in 1968.⁶ Meanwhile, Steve’s wife Anne worked as a manicurist and make-up artist to presidents, preparing them for interviews and television appearances as needed.⁷ 

He was particularly close with the Johnsons. On one occasion, they invited the Martinis to stay with them at their Texas ranch; on another, President Johnson took the Martinis with him on a visit to Central America. They also attended First Daughter Luci Johnson’s 1966 wedding.⁸

Martini became so well-known in this role that he was even featured on an episode of “What’s My Line?,” a TV show in which panelists tried to guess a contestant’s occupation.⁹ He continued to serve as White House barber until 1970; he was succeeded in the role by Milton Pitts.¹⁰ 

After leaving the White House, Steve and Anne moved to Florida and styled hair at the Boca Raton Hotel and Resort.¹¹ Steve Martini died on October 7, 1984, and was buried at Boca Raton Municipal Cemetery and Mausoleum in Florida.¹²