Booker T. Washington dinner at the White House - wikipedia Booker T. Washington dinner at the White House Booker T. Washington ; Theodore Roosevelt On 16 October 1901, shortly after moving into the White House, Theodore Roosevelt invited his adviser, the African American spokesman Booker T. Washington, to dine with him and his family, and provoked an outpouring of condemnation from southern politicians and press. This reaction affected subsequent White House practice, and no other African American was invited to dinner for almost thirty years. Contents 1 Background 2 Reception 3 See also 4 References 5 Further reading Background Roosevelt, while governor of New York, had frequently had black guests to dinner and sometimes invited them to sleep over. in 1798 John Adams had dined in the White House with Joseph Bunel, a representative of the Haitian President, and his black wife. Black people, including leaders such as Frederick Douglass and Sojourner Truth, had been received at the White House by Presidents Lincoln, Grant, Hayes and Cleveland. At the invitation of First Lady Lucy Hayes, Marie Selika Williams became the first African - American professional musician to appear at the White House. Reception The following day, the White House released a statement headed, `` Booker T Washington of Tuskegee, Alabama, dined with the President last evening ''. The response from the southern press and politicians was immediate, sustained and vicious. For example, Senator James K. Vardaman ( D ) of Mississippi complained that the White House was now, `` so saturated with the odor of nigger that the rats had taken refuge in the stable '' ; the Memphis Scimitar declared it `` the most damnable outrage which has ever been perpetrated by any citizen of the United States '' and on 25 October the Missouri Sedalia Sentinel published on its front page a poem entitled `` Niggers in the White House '', which ended suggesting that either the president 's daughter should marry Washington or his son one of Washington 's relatives. Senator Benjamin Tillman ( D ) of South Carolina said `` we shall have to kill a thousand niggers to get them back in their places ''. The Northern presses were more generous, acknowledging Washington 's accomplishments and suggesting that the dinner was an attempt by Roosevelt to emphasize he was everybody 's president. While some in the black community responded positively -- such as Bishop Henry Turner who said to Washington, `` You are about to be the great representative and hero of the Negro race, notwithstanding you have been very conservative '' -- other black leaders were less enthusiastic. William Monroe Trotter, a radical opponent of Washington, said the dinner showed him up as `` a hypocrite who supports social segregation between blacks and whites while he himself dines at the White House ''. The White House first responded to the outcry from the south by claiming that the meal had not occurred and that the Roosevelt women had not been at dinner with a black man, while some White House personnel said it was a luncheon not an evening meal. Washington made no comment at the time. See also A Guest of Honor, the first opera created by Scott Joplin, based on Washington 's dinner at the White House 1929 Jessie De Priest tea at the White House List of dining events References Jump up ^ Gould, Louis L ( 28 November 2011 ). Theodore Roosevelt. USA : Oxford University Press. p. 45. ISBN 9780199797011. His first action in October 1901 was to invite the prominent black leader Booker T. Washington to dine at the White House. (... ) When the news of the social event became public, southern newspapers erupted with denunciations of Roosevelt 's breach of the color line. ^ Jump up to : Lusane, Clarence ( 23 January 2013 ). The Black History of the White House. City Lights Publishers. p. 256. ISBN 9780872866119. LCCN 2010036925. Although the controversy eventually died down, its impact shaped White House politics for decades. No black person would be invited to dinner at the White House again for nearly thirty years Jump up ^ Lusane, Clarence ( 23 January 2013 ). The Black History of the White House. City Lights Publishers. p. 251. ISBN 9780872866119. When Roosevelt was governor of New York he had regularly had African Americans over for supper and even occasionally had invited them to spend the night. Jump up ^ Lusane, Clarence ( 23 January 2013 ). The Black History of the White House. City Lights Publishers. pp. 253 -- 4. ISBN 9780872866119... during the latter half of the nineteenth century the White House had opened its doors to black political leaders such as Frederick Douglass, Sojourner Truth, and others (... ) Bunel, who was mulatto, and his wife, who was black, had dinner with Adams. Jump up ^ Jeansonne, Glen ( 2012 ). The Life of Herbert Hoover : Fighting Quaker, 1928 - 1933. USA : Palgrave Macmillan. p. 306. ISBN 9780230103092. An examination of the record revealed that Lincoln, Hayes, Grant, Coolidge and Cleveland all had had black guests at the White House Jump up ^ Hendricks, Nancy ( 2015 - 10 - 13 ). America 's First Ladies : A Historical Encyclopedia and Primary Document Collection of the Remarkable Women of the White House : A Historical Encyclopedia and Primary Document Collection of the Remarkable Women of the White House. ABC - CLIO. ISBN 9781610698832. Jump up ^ Lusane, Clarence ( 23 January 2013 ). The Black History of the White House. City Lights Publishers. p. 254. ISBN 9780872866119. Jump up ^ Berlin, Edward A ( 1996 ). King of Ragtime : Scott Joplin and His Era. Oxford University Press. p. 106. ISBN 0195101081. The Sedalia Sentinel printed a poem on page one entitled `` Niggers in the White House, '' which concludes with a black man marrying the President 's daughter. ( Note 65 : SeS, Oct. 25, 1901, 1. ) (... ) Major newspapers in the north had a more charitable view. They recognized Washington 's unique achievements and suggested that the invitation was Roosevelt 's way of demonstrating he was president of all the people. Jump up ^ Lusane, Clarence ( 23 January 2013 ). The Black History of the White House. City Lights Publishers. p. 255. ISBN 9780872866119. William Monroe Trotter rebuked the wizard of Tuskegee and called him a hypocrite for supporting social segregation between the races and then going to sup at the White House. Jump up ^ Verney, Kevern J ( 3 April 2013 ). The Art of the Possible : Booker T. Washington and Black Leadership in the United States 1881 -- 1925. Taylor and Francis. p. 38. ISBN 9780815337232. I did not give out a single interview and did not discuss the matter in any way. Further reading Davis, Deborah ( 2013 ). Guest of Honor : Booker T. Washington, Theodore Roosevelt, and the White House Dinner That Shocked a Nation. New York City : Simon and Schuster. ISBN 9781439169827. `` The Night President Teddy Roosevelt Invited Booker T. Washington to Dinner ''. The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education. The JBHE Foundation, Inc. 35 : 24 -- 25. Spring 2002. JSTOR 3133821. Norrell, Robert J. ( Spring 2009 ). `` When Teddy Roosevelt Invited Booker T. Washington to Dine at the White House ''. The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education. The JBHE Foundation, Inc. 63 : 70 -- 74. JSTOR 40407606. Severn, John K. ; William Warren Rogers ( January 1976 ). `` Theodore Roosevelt Entertains Booker T. Washington : Florida 's Reaction to the White House Dinner ''. The Florida Historical Quarterly. Florida Historical Society. 54 ( 3 ) : 306 -- 318. JSTOR 30151288. White, Arthur O. ( January 1973 ). `` Booker T. Washington 's Florida Incident, 1903 - 1904 ''. The Florida Historical Quarterly. Florida Historical Society. 51 ( 3 ) : 227 -- 249. JSTOR 30151545. Theodore Roosevelt 26th President of the United States, 1901 -- 1909 25th Vice President of the United States, 1901 33rd Governor of New York, 1899 -- 1900 Assistant Secretary of the Navy, 1897 -- 1898 New York City Police Commissioner, 1895 -- 1897 New York State Assemblyman, 1882 1883 1884 Presidency First inauguration historic site Second inauguiration `` Square Deal '' Booker T. Washington dinner Conservation Newlands Reclamation Act Transfer Act of 1905 Antiquities Act Pelican Island Devils Tower National Monument Muir Woods National Monument Other National Monuments United States Forest Service, United States Reclamation Service National Wildlife Refuge System Roosevelt Arch Conference of Governors Northern Securities Company breakup court case Coal strike of 1902 Pure Food and Drug Act Food and Drug Administration Meat Inspection Act Expediting Act Elkins Act Hepburn Act Aldrich -- Vreeland Act Federal Employers Liability Act Kinkaid Act Big Stick ideology Hay -- Bunau - Varilla Treaty Panama Canal Zone Panama Canal Venezuelan crisis Roosevelt Corollary Occupation of Cuba Russo - Japanese War Treaty of Portsmouth 1906 Nobel Peace Prize Gentlemen 's Agreement of 1907 College football meetings Bureau of Investigation Department of Commerce and Labor Bureau of Corporations Keep Commission Inland Waterways Commission Bureau of the Census Great White Fleet Perdicaris incident Cabinet White House West Wing State of the Union Address, 1901 1906 1908 White House desk Federal judiciary appointments Other events Spanish -- American War Rough Riders Battle of Las Guasimas Battle of San Juan Hill `` Bull Moose '' Progressive Party New Nationalism Assassination attempt Boone and Crockett Club Smithsonian -- Roosevelt African Expedition `` River of Doubt '' Amazonian expedition Life and homes Birthplace, boyhood home replica Sagamore Hill Home and Museum Oyster Bay Elkhorn Ranch Maltese Cross Cabin Pine Knot cabin Gravesite Writings and speeches Theodore Roosevelt bibliography The Naval War of 1812 ( 1882 book ) `` The Strenuous Life '' ( 1899 speech ) `` Citizenship in a Republic '' ( 1910 speech ) `` I have just been shot '' ( 1912 speech ) Theodore Roosevelt : An Autobiography ( 1913 book ) The Forum magazine articles Theodore Roosevelt Cyclopedia Archival collections Elections New York state election, 1898 Republican National Convention, 1900 1904 1912 1916 United States presidential election, 1900 1904 1912 Legacy Mount Rushmore Theodore Roosevelt Center and Digital Library White House Roosevelt Room Theodore Roosevelt National Park Theodore Roosevelt Wilderness Theodore Roosevelt Island Roosevelt National Forest Roosevelt Study Center Theodore Roosevelt Association Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Park Monument Assemblage Roosevelt River Theodore Roosevelt Award Roosevelt Road U.S. Postage stamps Theodore Roosevelt, Rough Rider sculpture Equestrian statue Popular culture Teddy bear `` Speak softly, and carry a big stick '' Books Films Roosevelt in Africa 1910 documentary The Roosevelts 2014 documentary Related Political positions `` Bully pulpit '' Ananias Club `` Nature fakers '' Progressive Era A Guest of Honor Porcellian Club `` Muckraker '' National Collegiate Athletic Association `` Roosevelt Republican '' Family Alice Hathaway Lee ( first wife ) Edith Kermit Carow ( second wife ) Alice Lee Roosevelt ( daughter ) Theodore Roosevelt III ( son ) Kermit Roosevelt ( son ) Ethel Carow Roosevelt ( daughter ) Archibald Roosevelt ( son ) Quentin Roosevelt ( son ) Theodore Roosevelt Sr. ( father ) Martha Stewart Bulloch ( mother ) Anna Roosevelt ( sister ) Elliott Bulloch Roosevelt ( brother ) Corinne Roosevelt ( sister ) Cornelius Roosevelt ( grandfather ) James Stephens Bulloch ( grandfather ) James A. Roosevelt ( uncle ) Robert Roosevelt ( uncle ) James Dunwoody Bulloch ( half - uncle ) Irvine Bulloch ( uncle ) Theodore Douglas Robinson ( nephew ) Corinne Robinson ( niece ) Anna Eleanor Roosevelt ( niece ) Hall Roosevelt ( nephew ) ← William McKinley William Howard Taft → Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Booker_T._Washington_dinner_at_the_White_House&oldid=782546632 '' Categories : 1901 in the United States 1901 in Washington, D.C. African - American segregation in the United States History of racial segregation in the United States Theodore Roosevelt Booker T. Washington White House October 1901 events Dining events Talk Contents About Wikipedia Add links This page was last edited on 27 May 2017, at 16 : 25. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution - ShareAlike License ; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia ® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization. About Wikipedia

Question: which african american leader was invited as a dinner guest to the white house in 1901
Answer: Booker T. Washington