Clement Conger

Clement Ellis Conger (October 15, 1912 – January 11, 2004) was an Americanmuseum curator andpublic servant. He served as director of theOffice of Fine Arts at theU.S. Department of State, where he worked as curator of both theDiplomatic Reception Rooms andBlair House. He also served asCurator of the White House underU.S. Presidents Nixon,Ford,Carter, andReagan.^[1]^[2] Prior to working as a curator, Conger served as aForeign Service Officer, as the DeputyChief of Protocol of the United States, and as Assistant Secretary of theCombined Chiefs of Staff.

Clement Conger
Conger in November 1961

4thWhite House Curator
In office 1970–1986
President	Richard Nixon Gerald Ford Jimmy Carter Ronald Reagan
Preceded by	James R. Ketchum
Succeeded by	Rex Scouten
1st Curator of theDiplomatic Reception Rooms
In office 1961–1992
Deputy	Gail F. Serfaty
Preceded by	Position established
Succeeded by	Harry Schnabel Jr.
Deputy Chief of Protocol of the United States
In office 1958–1961
Assistant Chief of Protocol of the United States
In office 1955–1957
Special Assistant,Arms Control and Disarmament Agency
Assistant Secretary of theCombined Chiefs of Staff
In office c.1943–c.1945

Personal details
Born	Clement Ellis Conger (1912-10-15)October 15, 1912 Harrisonburg, Virginia, U.S.
Died	January 11, 2004(2004-01-11) (aged 91) Delray Beach, Florida, U.S.
Cause of death	Pneumonia
Resting place	Glendale, California, U.S.
Spouse	Lianne Hopkins Conger
Children	William Jay Shelley
Education	Strayer College George Washington University
Occupation	Cultural heritage management
Known for	Creation of theDiplomatic Reception Rooms
Committees	Fine Arts Committee
Military service
Allegiance	United States of America
Branch/service	United States Army
Years of service	c.1940–1945
Rank	Major
Commands	Assistant Secretary of theCombined Chiefs of Staff

Early life and education

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The John Quincy Adams State Drawing Room, part of theDiplomatic Reception Rooms at theUnited States Department of State, where Conger assembled most of this furniture and art

Conger was born on October 15, 1912, inHarrisonburg, Virginia. He attended and graduated fromStrayer College inWashington, D.C.

Career

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Following graduation from Strayer College, Conger worked as an office manager for theChicago Tribune and for U.S. Rubber Co. He was assistant secretary for theCombined Chiefs of Staff duringWorld War II. He worked for theUnited States State Department, where he served as deputy chief of protocol from 1958 to 1961. In 1992, he received the Henry Francis du Pont Award from theWinterthur Museum, Garden and Library, which recognizes awardees' "contributions of national significance to the knowledge, preservation, and enjoyment of American decorative arts, architecture, landscape design, and gardens."^[3]

Death

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Conger died ofpneumonia inDelray Beach, Florida, on January 11, 2004, and was interred inGlendale, California.

Works

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Clement E. Conger, Mary K. Itsell,Treasures of State: Fine and Decorative Art in the Diplomatic Reception Rooms of the U.S. Department of State, H.N. Abrams, 1991,ISBN 978-0-8109-3911-0