Upstairs at the White House: My Life with the First Ladies

This gossipy book is so much fun. It’s like "People Magazine: The White House Edition." J.B. West (1912 - 1983) worked as a White House usher for 28 years. He began work there on March 1, 1941 as Assistant to the Chief Usher, Howell G. Crim, and eventually rose to the position of Chief Usher himself after Mr. Crim’s retirement. During all that time when he was involved in the day-to-day operation of the White House, he answered mostly to the first ladies, from Eleanor Roosevelt to Pat Nixon. And he had lots of great anecdotes to share about them all.

The time during which he was in the White House included some historically momentous events, including the death of FDR, the restoration of the executive mansion, the funeral of JFK, and show more the weddings of the Johnson girls. It was so interesting to hear about all that from an “insider.”

Mr. West, as he was always called, was fond of all the first ladies, but I think he had a bit of a crush on Jackie Kennedy. He doesn’t make Jack sound all that attractive, however. But it’s only a sense I got: Mr. West goes out of his way to find positive ways to present all the occupants over the years. He only registered a few disapproving notes from all of his time at the White House: he was distraught when Richard Nixon had the White House pool removed, because, as he said, “I hate to see history disappear.” And he was taken aback by Nixon’s use of the East Room as a place to hold Sunday religious services. (The East Room is the largest room in the Executive Mansion and is generally used for dances, receptions, press conferences, ceremonies, concerts, and banquets.)

Nevertheless, Mr. West felt very strongly that all families occupying the White House had the right to make it into their own space.

It is astounding how much attention is required to maintain the White House, and all the rules about protocol and dining and spending and decorating, all while adhering to a budget imposed by Congress and to rules about what changes could and could not be made to this historic building. Some presidents had personal incomes they could use to supplement the tight spending allowance, but others, like the Trumans, were forced to scrimp however they could.

When Mr. West retired on March 1, 1969, the staff was bereft, but so was I! How would we know if Mamie would keep on dominating Pat Nixon (whose daughter married Mamie’s grandson), and what about the subsequent presidents and their families? How I’d love to get his take on the current first family! He observed that Richard Nixon wanted any trace of the Kennedys removed whenever possible - I can imagine that the current president is equally obsessed with eliminating traces of the Obamas.

There are a number of juicy tidbits in the book: FDR had devices hidden all over the White House to hold him up so he could appear to be standing in spite of the polio which for the most part confined him to a wheelchair. When Winston Churchill came to stay at the White House in the Roosevelt years, he liked to lounge around in his room all day in the nude, much to the dismay of the staff. Harry and Bess Truman broke the bed "celebrating" after she came back from a vacation! Mamie Eisenhower was more imperious than her husband the General. Mamie and Jackie Kennedy - not exactly BFFs!

President Kennedy used the White House pool to skinny dip twice a day, and [although Mr. West is too tactful to mention it] allegedly he also used it and other White House locations as trysting sites when Jackie wasn’t around. Other presidents and their families enjoyed the pool as well, albeit in swimming outfits.

Evaluation: There’s much more in this thoroughly delightful book, although most of it involves more mundane than salacious activities. We both listened to this book on CD, and enjoyed the very different perspective on the presidents one gets than the usual historical accounts. show less

I really enjoyed this book. It changed a couple of my pre-conceived notions (I immediately added [b:Truman|2279|Truman|David McCullough|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1364681969l/2279._SY75_.jpg|1732395] to my to-read list after finishing that chapter) and it solidified others (Johnson doesn't really deserve a place in [b:Leadership: In Turbulent Times|38657386|Leadership In Turbulent Times|Doris Kearns Goodwin|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1531683409l/38657386._SY75_.jpg|60268060]). I came out much more conflicted on the Roosevelts as a pair, but much more invested in Eleanor. I thoroughly enjoyed the Eisenhowers but not so much the Nixons. And Jackie show more Kennedy... let's just say that there seemed to be a bit more similarities between her and Marilyn Monroe. You could tell that the author was somewhat smitten with her.

All in all, I found myself really respecting most of the women who have occupied and cared for the White House. show less

Book on CD performed by Eric Martin

Subtitle: My Life With the First Ladies

J B West began his career at the White House while still in the Navy reserve, serving first in the Franklin Roosevelt administration. In time, he was promoted to the position of Chief Usher, basically the head of household for the residence. This memoir details his years of service from 1943 to a year into the Nixon administration.

I really enjoyed this look at the private lives of the first families. Due to his position, West’s primary contact within each administration was with the First Lady. Her wishes as to how the private rooms would be used, preferred decorating colors and schemes, and private family routines governed how West and his crew handled things. show more Whether it was converting a closet to a nurse’s bedroom (and back to a closet), or “borrowing” space from a couple of adjacent rooms to create a private kitchen space, he and his staff handled every request with aplomb and professionalism.

Readers hoping for some juicy private gossip will NOT find it here. Discretion was paramount for the position, and West maintains that characteristic in his memoir. Still, it is a touchingly personal account. Twice he had to deal with a transition that was NOT due to an election (following the deaths of FDR and JFK), and the contrasts in how these were necessarily handled vs the typical handing over of power following an election is evident.

All told, I was interested and engaged throughout.

Eric Martin does a fine job of performing the audiobook. The pace was good and his diction was clear. He made little effort to imitate the voices of the first ladies, and I applaud him for that. show less

Finished Upstairs at the White House: My Life with the First Ladies by J.B. West. It was an interesting look at the White House from inside. Told from the Chief Usher's* point of view, this book chronicles family life within the White House from 1941 to 1969 and how each First Lady handled their busy lives, both public and private. I have decided that these are two jobs I never want to hold--First Lady or Chief Usher-- but I thought it was fascinating!

* Yes, that is an official title which also means executive director of the executive mansion and grounds. Chief Usher, JB West, supervised the large permanent staff that provided for every personal want and need for six President's and first ladies, including state dinners, weddings, show more funerals, school rooms and playgrounds and redecorating for each new family presiding at the White House. show less

Fabulous!!

Thoroughly enjoyable perspective on life in the White House. Well written and I loved the sheer amount of info about each First Lady's personality.

This is an interesting look at how the White House is run and the personalities of the First Ladies from Eleanor Roosevelt to Pat Nixon. There's actually not much about Mrs. Nixon because it was time for Mr. West to retire as she moved into the WH. He very discreet, rarely saying anything uncomplimentary about any of the people who occupied the official residence. But, he does give a nice picture of the various quirks and foibles of the First Families.

This book is a memoir by J.B. West who worked at the White House (eventually as Head Usher) from the F.D. Roosevelt administration through the first few weeks of the Nixon administration. The book focuses on West's working relationships with the various first ladies that called the white house home. He does a good job of giving the reader a glimpse of the first ladies' personalities without being gossipy or disrespectful. You can tell he had a lot of respect for all the women he worked for in this role as well as for the institution of the White House. I found the behind the scenes peak into how the White House is run interesting and felt like he helped me learn a little about some historical figures that I did not know that well. For show more those who are familiar with the first ladies or the history of the times, this may not offer any new information. But for those like me that want to get a better feel for recent history without being overwhelmed it is a good place to start. show less