 White House Historical Association building onJackson Place inWashington, D.C. | |
| Abbreviation | WHHA |
|---|---|
| Formation | November 3, 1961; 64 years ago (1961-11-03)[1] |
| Founder | Jacqueline Kennedy[2] |
| Type | Private non-profit[3] |
| Purpose | Historical education and preservation |
President | Stewart McLaurin |
| Website | whitehousehistory |
TheWhite House Historical Association, founded in 1961[4] through efforts ofFirst LadyJacqueline Kennedy, is a private,nonprofit organization[5] that works to preserve the history of theWhite House and make its history more accessible to the public.[6][7] As of March 2022[update], the president of the association isStewart McLaurin.[4][8]
After moving into theWhite House in 1961,First LadyJacqueline Kennedy founded the White House Historical Association, which was chartered on November 3 of that year.[4][2] The goals of the association were to raise private funds for maintaining and renovating the White House[5] and to create an official White House guidebook.[9]
In 1981, under First LadyNancy Reagan, the association began its current practice of selling a unique White HouseChristmas ornament to the public each year. Beginning in 1982, each year's ornament honors a different president.[10] Since 1981, the ornaments are primarily manufactured at Beacon Design by ChemArt inLincoln, Rhode Island.[11][12] As of 2019[update], hundreds of thousands of ornaments are sold each year.[13] The White House Historical Association also produces the wooden eggs distributed during the annual White HouseEaster Egg Roll.[14]
Financier and former White House stafferDavid M. Rubenstein donated $10 million to the association in 2011 to establish the David M. Rubenstein National Center for White House History, an educational institute under the White House Historical Association's purview.[15][16] In 2016, the association created a Digital Library, currently hosted onAmazon Web Services (AWS). The partnership between the association and AWS expanded the following year.[17] In 2018, the association shared a collection of roughly 25,000 photographs of White House history that it had organized and digitized for the first time.[18][6] The association also created a monthly podcast, called 1600 Sessions, in 2017.[17]
In its work, the White House Historical Association collaborates with thefirst family,[19] theWhite House chief usher,[20] and thecurator of the White House.[21] The association focuses on maintaining and interpreting the state rooms of the White HouseExecutive Residence and the rest of theWhite House Complex.[1] The association also works with theCommittee for the Preservation of the White House to curate and purchase new decorations andart for the White House.[7][1] This includes funding the creation of unique state chinatableware for several presidential administrations[22] and funding one portrait of each President and First Lady.[23][24] The association also helps fund maintenance and restoration of some rooms of the White House.[25][26]
The association publishes the official White House guide. In theWhite House Visitor Center, the association operates a gift shop and book store.[27] The association also creates and publishes media on the history, art, and architecture of the White House, and the quarterly journalWhite House History. As of 1995[update], books published by the association had sold more than eight million copies.[7] The association sponsors scholarship, seminars, and exhibitions on the history of the White House. As of 2009[update], the association awarded three White House History Fellowships each year in collaboration with theOrganization of American Historians.[28] It operates the David M. Rubenstein National Center for White House History atDecatur House.[29][16]
The majority of the funding for the White House Historical Association comes from private contributions,[17] in addition to corporate contributions and the sale of publications and gift items.[7] The association manages theWhite House Acquisition Trust and theWhite House Endowment Trust.[30]
The association’s current president,Stewart McLaurin, has served since 2014,[31] focused on expanding its audiences, educational programming, development base and impact. He is the author of James Hoban: Designer and Builder of the White House.[32]
Previous top executives have been Nash Castro, Daniel E. Davis, Hillory A. Tolson, Bernard R. Meyer and Neil W. Horstman.[33] The current board chair,John F. W. Rogers, has served since January 2022.[34] Previous board chairs wereFred Ryan,David E. Finley Jr., Dr. Melvin Payne,Robert L. Breeden,Hugh Sidey, and Henry A. Dudley Jr.[33]
The $367,258 cost of the china, all 3,520 pieces, was paid for with private funds donated by the White House Historical Association's White House Endowment Trust. ... The Bill Clinton and George W. Bush china services were paid for by the White House Historical Association.
The White House Historical Association, a nonprofit group, pays for only one presidential and first lady portrait for each administration...
...the White House Historical Association, which helps finance upkeep of some rooms in the 132-room mansion.
The new burgundy window treatments, four gilded bronze sconces, a repainting of the room from yellow to gray, and other refurbishments were paid by the White House Historical Association.
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