This is a memoir written by a White House bodyguard who took the job beginning during Lincoln's presidency and lasted for decades. From the intro: "It was in November, 1864, that four police officers were detailed by Mr. William B. Webb, who was then chief of police in the District of Columbia, to be a special guard for President Lincoln. They were to act on instructions from headquarters, and were also to be subject to any orders the President might give. The men were Elphonso Dunn, John Parker, Alexander Smith, and Thomas Pendel. All have since died. They reported immediately to the White House. Not long after the appointment a vacancy in the position of doorkeeper occurred, and the place was given to Pendel. On the 4th of January I was sent to the White House to act as the fourth guard. There was rotation in the service, although the hours were not invariable. The general plan was this: Two men were on duty from eight in the morning to four in the afternoon. These officers guarded the approach to the President in his office or elsewhere in the building, accompanied him on any walks he might take—in general, stood between him and possible danger. At four another man went on duty and remained until midnight, or later if Mr. Lincoln had gone outside the White House and had not returned by that time. At twelve the second night-guard went on duty, and remained until he was relieved, at eight in the morning. The night-guards were expected to protect the President on his expeditions to and from the War Department, or while he was at any place of amusement, and to patrol the corridor outside his room while he slept. We were all armed with revolvers. The reasons why the friends of Mr. Lincoln insisted on this precaution were almost as evident then as they became later."

Through Five Administrations, Reminiscences of Colonel William H. Crook

History

Crook, William H.

Americas

CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform

In November of 1864, after three-quarters of a century of Presidents, and more than three years of the Civil War, the first full-time Presidential body guards were finally hired. A promotion two months later left a job opening in the foursome, and William H. Crook was hired away from the Washington Police Force (he had previously served in the Union Army during the Civil War). As one of the bodyguards, Crook was in close contact with President Abraham Lincoln and his family, observing the sixteenth President as a person, and recording his observations.   Following Lincoln’s assassination (Crook wasn’t on duty at the time), he continued in the role for President Andrew Johnson. After Johnson left office, President Ulysses Grant (whom Crook had grown to know during his service under Lincoln) appointed him Executive Clerk of the President of the United States, and then dispersing agent in 1877. Eventually, he became the Chief Disbursing Officer. In January 1915, President Woodrow Wilson celebrated Crook’s half-century of service in the executive mansion, presenting him with a cane and acknowledging his more widely but less official title, “White House Encyclopedia.” Two months later, Crook died of pneumonia at the age of 75, and was buried in Arlington National Cemetery.   In that half century working in the White House, directly for the Presidents, William H. Crook grew to know the men who held the nation’s highest office, and their families; their public and private lives. Though his experience lasted through twelve administrations, his memoir only covers the first six (though he called it Through Five Administrations, counting the 1881-85 term of James Garfield and Chester Arthur as one).

Through Five Administrations: Reminiscences of Col. William H. Crook, Body-Guard to President Lincoln

Biographies & Memoirs

Historical

Gray Rabbit Publishing

In November of 1864, after three-quarters of a century of Presidents, and more than three years of the Civil War, the first full-time Presidential body guards were finally hired. A promotion two months later left a job opening in the foursome, and William H. Crook was hired away from the Washington Police Force (he had previously served in the Union Army during the Civil War). As one of the bodyguards, Crook was in close contact with President Abraham Lincoln and his family, observing the six

Through Five Administrations

In November of 1864, after three-quarters of a century of Presidents, and more than three years of the Civil War, the first full-time Presidential body guards were finally hired. A promotion two months later left a job opening in the foursome, and William H. Crook was hired away from the Washington Police Force (he had previously served in the Union Army during the Civil War). As one of the bodyguards, Crook was in close contact with President Abraham Lincoln and his family, observing the sixteenth President as a person, and recording his observations.
Following Lincoln's assassination (Crook wasn't on duty at the time), he continued in the role for President Andrew Johnson. After Johnson left office, President Ulysses Grant (whom Crook had grown to know during his service under Lincoln) appointed him Executive Clerk of the President of the United States, and then dispersing agent in 1877. Eventually, he became the Chief Disbursing Officer. In January 1915, President Woodrow Wilson celebrated Crook's half-century of service in the executive mansion, presenting him with a cane and acknowledging his more widely but less official title, "White House Encyclopedia." Two months later, Crook died of pneumonia at the age of 75, and was buried in Arlington National Cemetery.
In that half century working in the White House, directly for the Presidents, William H. Crook grew to know the men who held the nation's highest office, and their families; their public and private lives. Though his experience lasted through twelve administrations, his memoir only covers the first six (though he called it Through Five Administrations, counting the 1881-85 term of James Garfield and Chester Arthur as one).

Fifty years of service at the White House in various capacities, including bodyguard to Abraham Lincoln, William H. Crook's memoir brings an astonishing array of personal details of life in the executive mansion. His sensitive observations of Lincoln are especially moving. A well-known figure in Washington, Crook knew every president from Lincoln until Crook's death in 1915. He was a keen observer and his stories will entertain and sometimes surprise you. Here are also stories of presidents Andrew Johnson, Rutherford B. Hayes, and James Garfield. A friend of Ulysses S. Grant, a guest at the White House wedding of Grant's daughter, Nellie, he also tells stories of racing with Grant in buggies. For the first time, this long out-of-print volume is available as an affordable, well-formatted book for e-readers and smartphones. Be sure to LOOK INSIDE by clicking the cover above or download a sample.

Through Five Administrations: Lincoln, Johnson, Grant, Hayes, and Garfield

Independently published

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Books by Crook, William H.

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Crook, William H.. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Through Five Administrations, Reminiscences of Colonel William H. Crook

Through Five Administrations: Reminiscences of Col. William H. Crook, Body-Guard to President Lincoln

Through Five Administrations

Through Five Administrations: Reminiscences of Col. William H. Crook, Body-Guard to President Lincoln

Through Five Administrations: Lincoln, Johnson, Grant, Hayes, and Garfield