The White House social secretary is responsible for the planning, coordination, and execution of official social events at the White House, the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States.
Function The social secretary is head of the White House Social Office, located in the East Wing of the White House Complex. The social secretary plans events ranging from those as simple as a tea for the first lady and a single official guest to dinners for more than 200 guests.
The social secretary works with the White House chief usher to coordinate domestic staff and with the chief of protocol of the United States, an official within the United States Department of State, to plan state visits and accompanying state dinners. The social secretary works with the White House Graphics and Calligraphy Office in the production of invitations to social events.
The social secretary works on both the political and non-political functions of the presidency, coordinating events for the president, the first lady, and senior political staff. The White House social secretary serves at the president's pleasure and is appointed by each administration.
Notable office-holders On February 25, 2011, the White House appointed Jeremy Bernard, the first male, and first openly gay, social secretary in that position's history. "I have long admired the arts and education programs that have become hallmarks of the Obama White House and I am eager to continue these efforts in the years ahead," Bernard said during the announcing press conference.
List of White House social secretaries ImageSocial SecretaryTerm of officePresident 1 Belle Hagner 1901–1909 Theodore Roosevelt 2 Alice Blech 1909–1910William Howard Taft 3 Mary Spiers 1910–1913 4 Belle Hagner 1913–1915Woodrow Wilson 5 Edith Benham Helm 1915–19216Laura Harlan 1921–1923 Warren G. Harding 1923–1929 Calvin Coolidge 7 Mary Randolph 1929–1931Herbert Hoover 8 Doris Goss 1931–19339Edith Benham Helm 1933–1945 Franklin D. Roosevelt 1945–1953 Harry S. Truman 10 Mary Jane McCaffree 1955–1961 Dwight D. Eisenhower 11 Letitia Baldrige 1961–1963John F. Kennedy 12 Nancy Tuckerman 1963–1963 13 Bess Abell 1963–1969 Lyndon B. Johnson 14 Lucy Winchester 1969–1974 Richard Nixon 15 Nancy Lammerding Ruwe 1974–1975Gerald Ford 16 Maria Downs 1975–1977 17 Gretchen Poston 1977–1981 Jimmy Carter 18 Mabel (Muffie) Brandon 1981–1983Ronald Reagan 19 Gahl Hodges 1983–1985 20 Linda Faulkner 1985–1989 21 Laurie Firestone 1989–1993 George H. W. Bush 22 Ann Stock 1993–1997Bill Clinton 23 Capricia Marshall 1997–2001 24 Catherine Fenton 2001–2004George W. Bush 25 Lea Berman 2004–2007 26 Amy Zantzinger 2007–2009 27 Desirée Rogers 2009–2010Barack Obama 28 Julianna Smoot 2010–2011 29 Jeremy Bernard 2011–2015 30 Deesha Dyer 2015–2017 31 Anna Cristina Niceta Lloyd 2017–2021 Donald Trump 32 Carlos Elizondo 2021–2025 Joe Biden
References
Further reading Baldrige, Letitia. In the Kennedy Style: Magical Evenings in the Kennedy White House. Doubleday: 1998. . Clinton, Hillary Rodham. An Invitation to the White House: At Home with History. Simon & Schuster: 2000. . The White House: An Historic Guide. White House Historical Association and the National Geographic Society: 2001. .
External links White House Historical Association website Records of the White House Social Office (1952 - 1961), Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library