William Dubois (usher)

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William Dubois

William Dubois.jpg

Dubois about 1897
1st White House Chief Usher
In office
June 1896 –January 1902
President Grover Cleveland
William McKinley
Preceded by Carlos E. Dexter
Succeeded by Thomas E. Stone
Personal details
Born 1841
Died April 29, 1910(1910-04-29) (aged 68–69)
Washington, D.C., U.S.

William Dubois (1841 – April 29, 1910) was an American civil servant who served as Chief Usher of the White House in Washington, D.C., from June 1896 to January 1901. He was the first person to formally receive the title Chief Usher, although in previous years it had been used unofficially and in press reports.

White House Chief Usher

The White House Chief Usher is the head of household staff and operations at the White House, the official residence and principal workplace of the President of the United States of America. Timothy Harleth was appointed the current Chief Usher by President Donald Trump on June 23, 2017.

Washington, D.C. Capital of the United States

Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington or D.C., is the capital of the United States. Founded after the American Revolution as the seat of government of the newly independent country, Washington was named after George Washington, the first President of the United States and a Founding Father. As the seat of the United States federal government and several international organizations, Washington is an important world political capital. The city is also one of the most visited cities in the world, with more than 20 million tourists annually.

Contents

Life and career

The exact date of William Dubois' birth is unclear. His headstone lists 1831, but obituaries at the time of his death claimed he was only about 70 years old (which puts the date of his birth about 1840 or 1841). [1] [2] [lower-alpha 1] Little is known about Dubois' early life, except that he had a brother, Isaac, and a sister, Mary. [3] He served as a foot soldier in the Union Army during the American Civil War under the command of General William Tecumseh Sherman, [1] but which specific unit, division, corps, or army is not known.

Union Army Land force that fought for the Union during the American Civil War

During the American Civil War, the Union Army referred to the United States Army, the land force that fought to preserve the Union of the collective states. Also known as the Federal Army, it proved essential to the preservation of the United States of America as a working, viable republic.

American Civil War Civil war in the United States from 1861 to 1865

The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States from 1861 to 1865, between the North and the South. The most studied and written about episode in U.S. history, the Civil War began primarily as a result of the long-standing controversy over the enslavement of black people. War broke out in April 1861 when secessionist forces attacked Fort Sumter in South Carolina shortly after Abraham Lincoln had been inaugurated as the President of the United States. The loyalists of the Union in the North proclaimed support for the Constitution. They faced secessionists of the Confederate States in the South, who advocated for states' rights to uphold slavery.

William Tecumseh Sherman US Army general, businessman, educator, and author

William Tecumseh Sherman was an American soldier, businessman, educator, and author. He served as a general in the Union Army during the American Civil War (1861–65), for which he received recognition for his outstanding command of military strategy as well as criticism for the harshness of the scorched earth policies he implemented in conducting total war against the Confederate States.

After the Civil War, Dubois settled in Washington, D.C., [1] where he joined the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD). [4] He was assigned as a guard at the White House in 1880. [4] In 1881, Dubois was sued in local court for arresting a man without a warrant. The news made local headlines, and Dubois was acquitted. [5]

Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia Law enforcement agency in Washington D.C.

The Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia (MPDC), more commonly known as the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), the DC Police and its initials MPD, is the primary law enforcement agency for the District of Columbia, in the United States. With approximately 3,800 officers and 600 civilian staff, it is the sixth-largest municipal police department in the United States. The department serves an area of 68 square miles (180 km2) and a population of over 700,000 people. Established on August 6, 1861, the MPD is one of the oldest police departments in the United States, and is the sixth largest municipal police force in the United States. The MPD headquarters is at the Henry J Daly Building, located on Indiana Avenue in Judiciary Square across the street from the District of Columbia Court of Appeals and the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. The department's mission is to "safeguard the District of Columbia and protect its residents and visitors with the highest regard for the sanctity of human life." The MPD's regulations are compiled in title 5, chapter 1 of the District of Columbia Code.

Dubois was appointed an usher at the White House on April 29, 1881, [6] although he continued to hold his job on the police force. He retired from the MPD in 1892, [4] with the local press reporting that he reached the rank of captain. [1] [2] Dubois was appointed chief usher at the White House on June 3, 1896. [7] He succeeded Carlos E. Dexter, a United States Army officer who had served as chief usher from March 1893 to December 1895. [8] The term "chief usher" had been used by press as early as August 1887, indicating that one of the ushers was considered the "chief" or supervisory usher. [9] The official title, "Chief Usher", was not created until 1897. Dubois was the first to use the title, but it applied only for the last four of his five years in the role. [10] As Chief Usher, Dubois oversaw a staff of 10 [11] and had supervisory control over the police and guards who served inside the White House (but not outside on its grounds). [12] As Chief Usher, Dubois also controlled access to the White House. More than 500 people per day passed through the building on tours and official business, [13] and Dubois personally oversaw the hundreds of items turned into the Executive Mansion's lost-and-found department. [14]

Carlos E. Dexter, Jr. was an American civil servant who served a Chief Usher of the White House in Washington, D.C., from March 1893 to December 1895.

United States Army Land warfare branch of the United States Armed Forces

The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the seven uniformed services of the United States, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution. As the oldest and most senior branch of the U.S. military in order of precedence, the modern U.S. Army has its roots in the Continental Army, which was formed to fight the American Revolutionary War (1775–1783)—before the United States of America was established as a country. After the Revolutionary War, the Congress of the Confederation created the United States Army on 3 June 1784 to replace the disbanded Continental Army. The United States Army considers itself descended from the Continental Army, and dates its institutional inception from the origin of that armed force in 1775.

Dubois' health was never good, and it eventually led to his resignation. He first fell ill with malaria for two weeks in November 1892. [15] He fell ill with an unspecified disease in mid-September 1899, and by early November there were fears he would not survive. [16] But Dubois did live, and returned to his duties on December 20, 1899. [17] Dubois' health remained fragile, however, and on January 2, 1902, he asked to be transferred to less onerous duties at another executive branch agency. [18] President Theodore Roosevelt granted his request, and Dubois went to work for the Bureau of Pensions. [1]

Malaria Mosquito-borne infectious disease

Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease that affects humans and other animals. Malaria causes symptoms that typically include fever, tiredness, vomiting, and headaches. In severe cases it can cause yellow skin, seizures, coma, or death. Symptoms usually begin ten to fifteen days after being bitten by an infected mosquito. If not properly treated, people may have recurrences of the disease months later. In those who have recently survived an infection, reinfection usually causes milder symptoms. This partial resistance disappears over months to years if the person has no continuing exposure to malaria.

Theodore Roosevelt 26th president of the United States

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The Bureau of Pensions was an agency of the federal government of the United States which existed from 1832 to 1930. It originally administered pensions solely for military personnel. Pension duties were transferred to the United States Department of the Interior in 1849. The death of many pensioners in the early 1900s greatly reduced the agency's workload. The agency closed in 1930 when its duties were transferred to the Veterans Administration.

Retirement and death

It's unclear how long Dubois worked for the Bureau of Pensions. His wife, Mary Ellen ( ‹See Tfd› née Talbert) DuBois, died about December 7 or 8, 1907. [2] [19]

Dubois moved away from Washington, D.C., some time in 1909, but after an absence of eight months returned to live in the city again in 1910. He died at his home of unspecified causes on April 29, 1910. [2] Although he was a member of the city's Metropolitan Presbyterian Church, he was buried in Congressional Cemetery. [1]

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References

Notes
  1. ↑ Since Dubois was still working near the end of his life, the latter date seems more reasonable and is the one used in this article.
Citations
  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Funeral of Capt. Dubois". The Sunday Star. May 1, 1910. p. 21.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Funeral of Capt. Dubois". The Evening Star. April 20, 1910. p. 12.
  3. ↑ "Will of William Dubois". The Evening Star. May 4, 1910. p. 7.
  4. 1 2 3 "Mr. Dubois Made Usher". The Evening Star. June 4, 1896. p. 2.
  5. ↑ "Arrests Without Warrants". The Washington Post. June 30, 1881. p. 2.
  6. ↑ "Things Heard and Seen". The Evening Star. May 24, 1902. p. 18.
  7. ↑ "Mr. Dubois Made Chief Usher". The Evening Star. June 4, 1896. p. 2.
  8. ↑ "A New Chief Usher". The Evening Star. March 20, 1893. p. 55; "Capt. Dexter's Resignation". The Evening Star. December 4, 1895. p. 1.
  9. ↑ "Chief Usher at the White House". The Evening Star. August 1, 1887. p. 3.
  10. ↑ "Who is the chief usher and why is this White House employee important?". White House Historical Association. April 3, 2015. Retrieved April 13, 2015.
  11. ↑ "White House Fixtures". The Washington Post. April 11, 1897. p. 18.
  12. ↑ "A Splendid Scene". The Evening Star. January 2, 1899. pp. 1–2.
  13. ↑ "As A Showplace". The Evening Star. September 9, 1896. p. 17.
  14. ↑ "Things Heard and Seen". The Evening Star. July 27, 1901. p. 14.
  15. ↑ "Mr. Dubois Ill". The Evening Star. November 16, 1892. p. 1.
  16. ↑ "Personal Mention". The Evening Star. November 2, 1899. p. 1.
  17. ↑ "Personal Mention". The Evening Star. November 25, 1899. p. 1; "Personal Mention". The Evening Star. December 21, 1899. p. 1.
  18. ↑ "Chief Usher Dubois Retires". The Evening Star. January 3, 1902. p. 1.
  19. ↑ "Deaths in the District". The Evening Star. December 9, 1907. p. 7.
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