The White House Social Secretary

For more than one hundred years, White House Social Secretaries have displayed a profound knowledge of protocol and society in Washington, D.C. The position had its beginnings in the Theodore Roosevelt administration when First Lady Edith Roosevelt hired an executive clerk. From the intricacies of ceremony planning to routine office work, the social secretary must possess unfailing tact in being a liaison for the president and first lady. In this unfolding series, we hope to create an understanding about this position on the president's staff.

Welcoming the World to the President's House

Duties & Work Culture

Responsibilities and Job Description of the White House Social Secretary Through the Years

Historically Fascinating Job

Past Secretaries Remember the High Points

Memoirs from the First Social Secretary

Isabella Hagner is considered the first official social secretary at the White House. She was hired by First Lady Edith Roosevelt in 1901 and she remained in the position throughout the Roosevelt Administration and into the Wilson Administration. Belle was an active participant in shaping enduring elements of White House entertaining, procedures, and protocol and she detailed it all in her memoir—a portion of which is published here.

Introduction to Isabella Hagner