White House Usher: Stories from the Inside

by Christopher B. Emery, Barbara Bush (Foreword)

Christopher B. Emery served more than eight years in the White House Executive Residence across three presidential Reagan, George H. W. Bush, and Clinton. In one of the White House’s most trusted and discreet roles, he worked behind the scenes, supporting the daily lives of the presidents and their families.

The Usher’s Office helps manage the White House as both a workplace and a home. Its staff of more than 90—chefs, butlers, florists, carpenters, housekeepers, and many others—makes daily life possible and helps carry out dinners, receptions, meetings, and other events held in the residence.

In these vivid vignettes, Emery shares intimate moments and the behind-thescenes work that rarely reaches the public. He also recounts the unusual end of his White House he was the only usher terminated in the 20th century. Which First Lady fired him? The answer is inside.

“Chris Emery gives his readers a peek inside what happens upstairs at the White House. … I loved my trip down memory lane.”—Barbara Bush, Foreword

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Politics, Biography

240 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 27, 2023

About the author

Christopher B. Emery is the author of five books, including the bestselling
White House Usher: Stories from the Inside.

He served for nearly a decade in
the White House across three administrations.

Throughout his twenty-nine years in the federal government, Chris held a
top-secret clearance as a CIO, Chief Architect, and Director. His roles
spanned multiple government agencies, including the White House, the
United States Congress, and the Department of Homeland Security. In a
senior management role at the Department of Justice, he served as the CIO
for the National Security Division, serving as the vital link between the
Attorney General and the Intelligence Community.

Chris travels nationwide to share insights from his time at the center of
American power, with a focus on discretion, management, and leadership
under pressure.

For more info, visit Chris' website: https://www.whitehouseusher.com/

Reviews

[Marilyn Stears · Rating 5 out of 5]

Christopher Emery, Usher

Interesting to see how the White House is run. How well it was functioning under the Bush administration and how poorly it was run and disorganized under the Clintons.
The thoughtfulness and kindness of the Bush family and the rudeness and ego centered Hillary Clinton. Her arrogance stays with her still today. The White House staff must have been greatly relieved that Hillary would not be returning as President.

[Vicki Merkel · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ok and a quick read

Pro. Some description of how the white house runs. He enjoyed his job.

Con. A lot of trite examples of interactions with the President and family members.

It is a memoir of his good times, love of the Bushes and distaste for Clinton's.

[Jeannette Budowsky · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very enjoyable reading

Very well written and was hard to put down! Thank you! Very interesting about the temperament of the President and First Ladies!

[Susannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Informative

This an easy and enjoyable read. It was also informative and no secrets were given about first families. Another form of history.

[Cheryl L McCauley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book. Interesting read

[Christopher Emery · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am the author and enjoyed writing this book about my experiences in managing the White House Executive Residence, the home of the first family.

From January 1986 until March 1994, I was part of one of the most unique positions in the U.S. government—an usher in the White House. The Ushers Office manages the White House Executive Residence where the nation’s first family lives. I was only the 18th White House usher since 1891, and he had the honor and privilege to serve presidential families for three years during the Reagan administration, four years for President H. W. Bush, and 14 months under President Clinton.

I am most proud of the fact that former first lady Barbara Bush wrote my foreword.

[Eden · Rating 3 out of 5]

2021 bk 92. The stories told here are not to be found in other sources. I did enjoy how he said that he wasn't there to tell the scurrilous events - and why that kept him from big bucks and big publishers. This book is privately published. There is a maxim to books that have come out of Washington, D. C. - they they are there to tell their side of something that got them into trouble and sadly, he does do that near the end, otherwise I enjoyed the book and the look into life as one of the Ushers of the White House.

[R · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Good Read

Thank you, Mr Emery, for an interesting book. I was particularly fond of reading about George H W Bush’s years in the White House. He was “my” president, too. I’m sorry Hillary made it impossible for you and a lot of other staff members to serve at the pleasure of George W Bush.

[steve piatt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hillary Clinton.

Now I understand the problems of Hillary Clinton she has never been organized ..that's why her E_ mails were on her personal phone. Thinking no one would check on her. Thank God for helping I think to put Donald Trump in the presidents seat instead of her .

[Carolyn Strauch · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting look into the White House years of Reagan, Bush 41, and Clinton. The Clintons were the worst to deal with and Barbara and George were the nicest. Amazing stories of the atmosphere and activities in the White House.

[Joey · Rating 4 out of 5]

One Classy Guy

I continue to be amazed by the stories I read of employees of the White House's Residential staff. Mr. Emery tells of his time working in the White House with respect and professionalism.

[Jen Kannenberg · Rating 5 out of 5]

A nice little peak into the job of a White House Usher! This isn’t a book that will spill any dirt, but rather will give the reader a glimpse of how the White House staff function with some examples of interactions with the First Families and their guests.

[Allyson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love getting glimpses inside the the white house and it's residents.

[Alice Wallace · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an interesting book that could have been more interesting. It was written using the diary of the author and read just like that. I got a better idea of what is involved in being a White House usher--something I knew very little about before this. I certainly was able to grasp what Mr. Emery's opinions were about each president that he served under, which thankfully did NOT include his own political persuasions or sordid details of the first families' personal lives. I would have appreciated more information about the history of the White House rooms, etc., since it was frequently mentioned that Mr. Emory gave tours and provided history to the many White House guests. This book was recommended by someone who had heard Mr. Emery speak, and I think that personal exposure would be perhaps even more interesting than the book itself.

[LP · Rating 1 out of 5]

The book was a collection of anecdotes blatantly attempting to portray this selfish man-child as an eventual innocent victim of the ‘evil’ Hillary and ‘hapless’ Bill Clinton. I am glad I didn’t have to work with this reckless prankster. Each section of the book was a lost opportunity to delve into life in the WH and instead became a humble brag about how the author knew the history of the whatever. How about you share the history of the whatever with your readers instead of telling us how smart you were?

[Koren · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting story. The author worked in the White House for 4 presidents. It was written diary-style, so basically gives his take on the day to day activities. I do think Upstairs at the White House: My Life with the First Ladies was more interesting, as it covered all aspects of jobs at the White House and covered more presidents. I did feel bad for him at the end and how he lost his job.

[Jeff · Rating 5 out of 5]

A FUN READ

This was a great breezy book about Chris’ time serving 3 first families. Since I am a Reagan and Bush fan, I was gratified by his description of serving them. His interactions with the Clintons did not disappoint. He seems like the kind of guy that you would want to hang with or have him serve you if you were a president. Very down to earth and cared deeply about making the White House a better place.

[Eric · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book definitely has the “insider” vibes, but whoever edited and proofread this needs to be fired. I mean, “Queen Noor of The Netherlands”? And how in the hell did they get Barbara Bush to write the introduction to this book?

[Erin Flower · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good read

Very good. Not as good as the other usher books but still a great read. Would have loved more detail.

[Amber Cody · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not written in the most captivating way, but very interesting information none the less!

[Raegan Turner · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting book. Didn’t keep me on the edge of my seat but had some interesting stories.

[Linda Wheeler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good book. A lot of White House history

[Michelle Ardillo · Rating 3 out of 5]

See my full review at http://michelleardillo.com/2025/01/23...

[Joann · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading this book with interesting details about the running of the White House.

[Sharla · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’ve read many books about the White House that were much more interesting than this one. It was more of a diary and quite boring.