By Audrey Alexander, Intern
Cecil Stoughton (Dan Lewis). White House Photographs. John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, Boston
The Kennedy Library is pleased to announce that folder lists for 100 boxes in the White House Staff Files of Dorothy H. Davies are now available. The collection’s finding aid has been updated.
Dorothy H. Davies served as Special Assistant to the President in the White House Office of Personnel and Miscellaneous Staff Services from 1961 to 1964. During Davies’ employment at the White House, her duties included arranging presidential and non-presidential appointments in the White House, records management for said appointments, as well as filing any paperwork related to applications, promotions, demotions, and terminations in the federal government. Davies also ran the White House Seminar Program with Kenneth P. O’Donnell in 1962 and 1963. After working at the White House, Davies went to work in the Small Business Administration, and later served as an assistant to Kenneth P. O’Donnell in his campaign for Governor of Massachusetts.
This collection documents the efforts of Dorothy Davies and other White House staff members to fill the many presidential and non-presidential appointments available in John F. Kennedy’s new administration. The included materials span from the years 1961 to 1964. The collection is organized into four series: Series 1. Day Files; Series 2. Office of Emergency Planning Files; Series 3. Appointment Files; and Series 4. Summer Employment Files. Series 3 and 4 are further divided into subseries.
The new folders lists can be found in the Applicant Files subseries, boxes 14-104. This series is arranged alphabetically by the last name of the applicant and researchers can now view files available for applicants A through G.
Letter sent from William Dobson to the White House Staff Office in 1961. In his letter, 16-year-old Dobson expresses his interest in the position of President John F. Kenney’s personal lifeguard. This letter is just one example of the many materials in the Applicant Files 1961-1964 series. (JFKWHSFDHD-076-038-p0002)
Please note that a majority of the newly listed folders are closed pending review. If you would like to access a folder that is closed pending review, please complete the Deed Request Review Form. We ask that you allow at least two weeks in advance of your visit or deadline for reviews to be completed.
All are welcome to visit the Library to work with our collections, and you can make an appointment by contacting an archivist at Kennedy.Library@nara.gov.