Charles M. Beckwith
- Position
- Electrician
- Years in President's House
- 1941 – 1958
- Gender
- Male
- Race/Ethnicity
- White
- Biography
Charles Morrison Beckwith was born on January 20, 1896, in Pomeroy, Pennsylvania.1 He served in the U.S. Army during World War I and worked for a Philadelphia printing company before becoming a government electrician in Washington, D.C. In 1941, he joined the White House staff in that role.2 Beckwith recalled: “I worked the 3:30 p.m. to midnight shift at the mansion. There was always a good deal of pressure on the job because presidents want things done right now, not a half-hour from now.” His duties included installing lighting fixtures, operating movies for the first family, fixing heating and cooling appliances, and other electrician-related tasks.3
Beckwith remained on staff until he retired in 1958 and moved to Vero Beach, Florida. He died on August 10, 1977, and was buried at Hillcrest Memorial Gardens.4
- Charles Morrison Beckwith in the U.S., World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1942, National Archives at St. Louis; St Louis, MO, USA; World War II Draft Cards (Fourth Registration) For the District of Columbia; Record Group Title: Records of the Selective Service System; Record Group Number: 147; Box or Roll Number: 004, Ancestry.com.
- Charles Beckwith in the 1930 United States Federal Census, Year: 1930; Census Place: Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Page: 39B; Enumeration District: 1048; FHL microfilm: 2341868, Ancestry.com; Charles M Beckwith in the 1940 United States Federal Census, Year: 1940; Census Place: Washington, District of Columbia, District of Columbia; Roll: m-t0627-00566; Page: 15A; Enumeration District: 1-387A; “Former White House Electrician Now Grows Grapefruit in Vero, Indian River Press Journal (Vero Beach, Florida), December 7, 1967, pg. 23; Charles M Beckwith in the Pennsylvania, U.S., World War I Veterans Service and Compensation Files, 1917-1919, 1934-1948, Ancestry.com. Pennsylvania, U.S., World War I Veterans Service and Compensation Files, 1917-1919, 1934-1948 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2015.
- “Former White House Electrician Now Grows Grapefruit in Vero,” Indian River Press Journal (Vero Beach, Florida), December 7, 1967, pg. 23; “White House Dims Lights,” The South Bend Tribune (South Bend, Indiana), May 7, 1946, pg. 4.
- “Charles Beckwith,” Indian River Press Journal (Vero Beach, Florida), August 10, 1977, pg. 2.
- Birthplace
- Pomeroy, Pennsylvania, USA
- Burial Place
- Hillcrest Memorial Gardens
- Blue markers indicate birthplaces and green markers indicate burial places. Black markers are used for places of both birth and burial.