A few members of the White House staff were black, including the messenger-valet-steward William Slade, known as an excellent storyteller; the cook Cornelia Mitchell; and the butler Peter Brown. William Johnson, a valet-cum-barber who came from Springfield with the First Family in 1861, initially worked in the White House stoking the furnace. But the other black employees, all light-skinned, objected to his dark complexion so vehemently that Lincoln had to find him another post. To Navy Secretary Welles Lincoln wrote in mid-March 1861: “The bearer (William) is a servant who has been with me for some time & in whom I have confidence as to his integrity and faithfulness. He wishes to enter your service. The difference of color between him & the other servants is the cause of our seperation. If you can give him employment you will confer a favour on Yours truly.” After several months, Johnson eventually landed a job at the Treasury Department, which he held till his death in 1864. To help him earn more money, Lincoln also facilitated his efforts to moonlight for others.
Source: Abraham Lincoln ∶ A Life ▫𓂃
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