The Ficklin Family: A White House Legacy Spanning Eight Decades
For nearly eighty years, the Ficklin family maintained a remarkable presence in the White House, serving an impressive thirteen presidents from Franklin D. Roosevelt through to Barack Obama. This extraordinary family witnessed one-third of America's 250-year history from within the executive residence, with multiple generations contributing to presidential operations and national security.
A Family Tradition of Service
The family's White House journey began with James Woodson Ficklin, who worked an astonishing forty-four years on the residence staff as a butler. His son, John Wrory Ficklin, continued this legacy with a forty-year career on the National Security Council staff. When Wrory Ficklin retired in 2015, he became the last family member employed full-time at the White House, concluding a remarkable chapter documented in his book "An Unusual Path: Three Generations from Slavery to the White House."
"The book is my family's history, it's African American history and it's our country's history," Wrory Ficklin explained. "My dad and I both stand on my grandfather's shoulders, and I like to think that we both contributed a lot to our country."
From Slavery to the White House
The family's story represents what Wrory Ficklin described as a "truly American story" beginning with his grandfather, James Strother Ficklin, who was born enslaved around 1854 in Rappahannock County, Virginia. After emancipation, Strother worked various jobs before eventually purchasing thirty-seven acres of land in Amissville, Virginia, in 1901. He built a house and farmed the land to support his family.
One of Strother's ten children was John Woodson Ficklin, who moved to Washington at age fifteen in 1934. After working odd jobs and attending night school, he graduated in 1939—the same year his older brother Charles began working as a White House butler. Charles helped Woodson secure a part-time position washing dishes and assisting the butlers.
White House Careers Intertwined
Military service during World War II briefly interrupted their White House careers, but both brothers received promotions upon returning. Charles Ficklin became head butler while Woodson Ficklin served as butler. Woodson met President Harry Truman and First Lady Bess Truman on his second day as a butler when he served them breakfast.
Under President Dwight Eisenhower, Charles advanced to maître d'—the most senior butler position—while Woodson became head butler, overseeing six full-time butlers. Woodson eventually succeeded his brother in March 1967 when Charles retired.
Trusted by First Families
As head butler, Woodson Ficklin became responsible for planning and executing White House social events ranging from luncheons and state dinners to birthday parties and South Lawn barbecues. He oversaw visits by British royals, the annual Christmas parties, the 1971 White House wedding of Richard Nixon's daughter Tricia, and Gerald Ford's daughter Susan's decision to host her senior prom at the executive residence.
Woodson earned the trust and confidence of presidents and first ladies who relied on his expertise. First lady Patricia Nixon wrote in October 1969 about "the great number of complimentary remarks we receive following each White House social event," according to a letter reprinted in the book. President Jimmy Carter expressed appreciation in March 1979 for work surrounding the Egypt-Israel peace treaty signing, writing "Everything was perfect and we are grateful."
An Unprecedented Honor
Woodson Ficklin retired in May 1983 after forty-four years of service. In perhaps the greatest show of appreciation for his career, the Reagans invited him and his wife Nancy to a state dinner that year for the emir of Bahrain. He is believed to be the first member of the White House residence staff to attend a state dinner as a guest.
Woodson sat at the first lady's table and told an interviewer that she "put me at ease and made me feel like a guest." When asked about the service, he replied, "Those are my boys. I trained them." Woodson Ficklin died in December 1984 at age sixty-five.
A Son's National Security Career
Wrory Ficklin's White House journey began with a childhood moment that left a lasting impression. "Seeing my Dad on television was a big deal, and to see him participating in our president's funeral service was beyond my youthful comprehension," he wrote, referring to his father's participation in President John F. Kennedy's funeral.
Wrory began his White House involvement with a summer job during high school delivering sealed envelopes between the White House and the Watergate special prosecutor. He also worked for his father in the pantry during state dinners and other major events.
Joining the National Security Council staff in 1975, Wrory Ficklin began a forty-year tenure that overlapped with his father and other family members. Starting as an evening clerk while attending college during the day, he advanced to training new staff by 1987. Under President Barack Obama, he was promoted to special assistant to the president for national security affairs.
Continuing the Family Tradition
Upon retiring in 2015, Wrory Ficklin made a special request to his boss, national security adviser Susan Rice: Could he attend a state dinner like his father? He and his wife Patrice were invited to the 2015 state dinner for Chinese President Xi Jinping. With minor alterations, he wore the tuxedo jacket and cummerbund his father had worn in 1983.
"Just to experience firsthand the quality of the service, the precision of the butlers, the type of service that they provided, was a legacy to my dad, actually," Wrory Ficklin said. The dinner represented the highlight of his career and a fitting conclusion to eight decades of family service to the American presidency.
