Lillian Rogers Parks
Encyclopedia
Lillian Rogers Parks was an American
maid
and seamstress in the White House
.
With the journalist Frances Spatz Leighton, co-author of a number of White House memoirs, Parks published My Thirty Years Backstairs at the White House
. The book covers a 60-year period in the life of domestic staff
in the White House. It reports Parks's experiences as a seamstress, and those of her mother, 'Maggie' Rogers
, who served as a maid for thirty years. Many of the gifts she received (revealed in the aforementioned book) from presidents during her time there later became notable artifacts and collectibles associated with presidential history, eventually ending up in the Raleigh DeGeer Amyx
Collection. She also published The Roosevelts: a family in turmoil in 1981 in collaboration with Frances Spatz Leighton.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
maid
Domestic worker
A domestic worker is a man, woman or child who works within the employer's household. Domestic workers perform a variety of household services for an individual or a family, from providing care for children and elderly dependents to cleaning and household maintenance, known as housekeeping...
and seamstress in the White House
White House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
.
With the journalist Frances Spatz Leighton, co-author of a number of White House memoirs, Parks published My Thirty Years Backstairs at the White House
My Thirty Years Backstairs at the White House
My Thirty Years Backstairs at the White House is an autobiographical novel by Lillian Rogers Parks . The memoir was based on Parks' recollections of thirty years as a seamstress in the White House and on childhood memories of her mother's 30...
. The book covers a 60-year period in the life of domestic staff
Domestic worker
A domestic worker is a man, woman or child who works within the employer's household. Domestic workers perform a variety of household services for an individual or a family, from providing care for children and elderly dependents to cleaning and household maintenance, known as housekeeping...
in the White House. It reports Parks's experiences as a seamstress, and those of her mother, 'Maggie' Rogers
Margaret Rogers
Margaret 'Maggie' Rogers was a maid at the White House who served for 30 years , during the administrations of Taft, Wilson, Harding, Coolidge, Hoover, and part of Franklin D...
, who served as a maid for thirty years. Many of the gifts she received (revealed in the aforementioned book) from presidents during her time there later became notable artifacts and collectibles associated with presidential history, eventually ending up in the Raleigh DeGeer Amyx
Raleigh DeGeer Amyx
Raleigh DeGeer Amyx is an American collector of Presidential, Americana, military, sports, NASA, and Olympic artifacts, including gold, silver, and bronze winners medals presented to athletes.-Early life, education:...
Collection. She also published The Roosevelts: a family in turmoil in 1981 in collaboration with Frances Spatz Leighton.
Publications
- 1961: My Thirty Years Backstairs at the White House. New York: Fleet (with F. S. Leighton)
- 1969: It was fun working at the White House. New York: Fleet (with F. S. Leighton)
- 1981: The Roosevelts: a family in turmoil. Englewood Cliffs: Prentice-Hall ISBN 0137830432 (with F. S. Leighton)