White House

Ex-White House Butler Who Served 11 Presidents Dies of Coronavirus at 91

Wilson Roosevelt Jerman, who began working at the White House in 1957, was "a lovely man," former President George W. Bush told NBC News

Wilson Roosevelt Jerman
Tina Hager / George W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum

A former White House butler who served 11 different presidents died at the age of 91 after contracting the coronavirus, NBC News reports.

Wilson Roosevelt Jerman was one of the White House’s longest serving employees, beginning as a cleaner in 1957 under the Eisenhower administration and then promoted during the Kennedy presidency, his granddaughter Jamila Garrett told  WTTG. She said her grandfather fostered relationships at the White House that helped him advance his position.

A photo of Jerman with former president Barack Obama and his wife Michelle Obama was included in “Becoming,” the former first lady's memoir.

In a statement to NBC News, former President George W. Bush and former first lady Laura Bush called Jerman a "lovely man. He was the first person we saw in the morning when we left the Residence and the last person we saw each night when we returned."

Jerman retired from his White House position in 2012.

Read the full story on NBCNews.com.

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