J. B. West

James Bernard West, known as J. B. (July 27, 1912 – July 18, 1983) was Chief Usher of the White House for 12 years, from 1957 to 1969. His best-selling book, Upstairs at the White House (My Life with the First Ladies) (with Mary Lynn Kotz), documents his time in the executive mansion, starting in 1941 under Chief Usher Howell G. Crim. The book serves as the main source of numerous White House anecdotes, such as President Johnson's demands for a multi-head high-pressure shower that required much rework to make powerful enough to satisfy him.

Biography

West was born in Afton, Iowa on July 27, 1912 to William West and Sarah McVay. He graduated from Creston High School in 1930 and moved to Washington in 1939. He married Zella Snyder and fathered two daughters, Kathy (Mary Kathryn) and Sally.

West began work in the White House as assistant to the chief usher in 1941. Prior to that, he worked in the Veterans Administration. He was promoted to chief usher when Crim retired in 1957. With a staff of over 100, West managed many state dinners and other White House events, including those surrounding the mourning of John F. Kennedy and the wedding of Lynda Bird Johnson. West retired from the White House in 1969.

He died on July 18, 1983 at the age of 70.[1]

References

  1. ^ "J.B. West, White House Aide Who Served 6 First Families". New York Times. July 21, 1983. http://www.nytimes.com/1983/07/21/obituaries/jb-west-white-house-aide-who-served-6-first-families.html. Retrieved 2010-06-28. "J. B. West, chief usher of the White House for six Presidential families, from the Franklin Roosevelts to the Nixons, died Monday at the Northern Virginia Doctors Hospital of respiratory failure. He was 70 years old. J. Bernard West, known mainly by his initials, was a native of Iowa. He moved to Washington in 1939 as a mail clerk and went to work at the White House in 1941. He became chief usher in 1957 and served until his retirement in 1969. He directed a staff of more than 100. In 1973, with Mary Lynn Kotz, he wrote a best-selling book, Upstairs at the White House. The book was a social history of the White House." 

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