William Henry Johnson

Biography

William Henry Johnson (March 4, 1833 – January 28, 1864) was a free African American and a sometime personal valet of Abraham Lincoln. Having first worked for Lincoln in Springfield, Illinois, Johnson accompanied the President-Elect to Washington, D.C. for his first inauguration (1861). Once there, he was employed in various jobs, part-time as President's valet and barber, and later, following strife with others on the White House staff, as a messenger for the Treasury Department at $600 (equivalent to US$21,500 in 2025) per year.

Explore Wikipedia contributors ↗