Eugene Allen

Eugene Allen (July 14, 1919 – March 31, 2010) was an American waiter and butler. He worked for the White House for 34 years until he retired in 1986. He served eight presidents of the United States. He began working at the White House in 1952. Allen's life was the inspiration for the movie The Butler, released in 2013.

Allen earned the highest rank of butlers serving in the White House. At the Maître d'hôtel in 1981, President Ronald Reagan invited Allen and his wife Helene to a state dinner at the White House. The dinner was in honor of Helmut Kohl.

Allen was born in Scottsville, Virginia on July 14, 1919. He received no formal schooling. He began working as a waiter at a pool club. Allen met his wife Helene in 1942. They had a son, Charles Allen. Helene wanted to vote for Barack Obama in 2008, but she died the day before the election, on November 3, 2008.The Man at the Door. The Washington Post (August 12, 2013). Retrieved on August 31, 2013. 

Allen died at a hospital in Takoma Park, Maryland, from kidney failure. He was aged 90.

References

Other websites
The Independent: Eugene Allen: White House butler who worked for eight US presidents

Category:1919 births
Category:2010 deaths
Category:Deaths from renal failure
Category:African-American people
Category:People from Alexandria, Virginia
Category:People from Takoma Park, Maryland