The Ficklin family served 13 US presidents over nearly eight decades, from Franklin D. Roosevelt to Barack Obama. Their White House tenure began with James Woodson Ficklin, who worked as a butler for 44 years, and continued with his son John Wrory Ficklin, who spent 40 years on the National Security Council staff before retiring in 2015.
Wrory Ficklin documented the family's history in his book, 'An Unusual Path: Three Generations from Slavery to the White House.' The story begins with his grandfather, James Strother Ficklin, born into slavery around 1854 in Virginia. After emancipation, he worked odd jobs and eventually bought 37 acres of land in Amissville, Virginia, in 1901.
Woodson Ficklin moved to Washington in 1934 at age 15, living with his sister and working odd jobs while attending night school. His brother Charles, already a White House butler, helped him secure a part-time position washing dishes. After serving in World War II, Woodson returned to become a butler, eventually rising to head butler and later maître d'.
Woodson Ficklin oversaw White House social events, from state dinners to the wedding of President Richard Nixon's daughter Tricia in 1971. First ladies, including Patricia Nixon, wrote letters of gratitude for his flawless execution of events. His son Wrory noted that the family's legacy is 'African American history and our country's history.'
