White House Usher: Stories from the Inside

by Christopher B. Emery, Barbara Bush (Foreword)

From January 1986 until March 1994, Chris Emery was part of one of the most unique services in the U.S. government—an usher in the White House. For more than 200 years, a small office has operated on the State Floor of the White House Executive Residence. Known as the Usher's Office, whose mission is to accommodate the personal needs of the first family, and to make the White House feel like a home. The Usher's Office is the managing office of the Executive Residence and its staff of 90-plus. The staff consists of butlers, carpenters, grounds personnel, electricians, painters, plumbers, florists, maids, housemen, cooks, chefs, storekeepers, curators, calligraphers, doormen, and administrative support. Ushers work closely with the first family, senior staff, Social Office, Press Office, Secret Service Agency, and military leaders to carry out White House luncheons, dinners, teas, receptions, meetings, conferences, and more. Chris Emery was only the 18th White House Usher since 1891, and 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. His vignettes recreate intimate White House happenings from an insider’s viewpoint. Chris Emery was the only White House Usher to be terminated in the 20th century. Turn the pages to find out which first lady fired him... “With his book, White House Stories from the Inside, former usher Chris Emery gives his readers a peek inside what happens upstairs at the White House. Chris’ anecdotes tell a rich story of how America’s house really is the First Families’ home. I loved my trip down memory lane.” - Former First Lady Barbara Bush (October 2017)

Genres: Nonfiction, Politics, History, Biography

266 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 27, 2023

About the author

Christopher B. Emery is an author who has published multiple books. He has worked in the field of information technology for over forty years, twenty-nine of which he spent serving the federal government. During his tenure, he worked for eight years in the White House and served the U.S. Congress on Capitol Hill for six years. Chris frequently travels across the country to deliver talks about his experience working in the White House and his mystery novels.

. . .

From January 1986 until March 1994, Chris Emery held one of the most unique jobs in the U.S. government—a White House Usher. The Usher’s Office oversees and manages The White House Executive Residence, its staff, and the surrounding 18 acres of grounds.

The ushers are responsible for taking care of the First Family’s most reserved area—their living quarters within The White House. Because their privacy is paramount, little is known about the ushers who work there or the duties with which they are entrusted. Chris was honored to have met seven presidents and work directly for three of them—Ronald Reagan, George H. W. Bush, and Bill Clinton.

During his twenty-nine years in the federal government, Chris Emery maintained a Top-Secret clearance as a CIO, Chief Architect, & Director in various capacities with the White House, United States Congress, and the Department of Homeland Security. In a senior management role with the Department of Justice, he served as the CIO for the National Security Division, the liaison between the Attorney General and the Intelligence Community.

Chris has authored three books and is currently working on numbers 4 & 5!


For more info: 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?

[Jeff Rickard · 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...

[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.