which president was in office when the white house was set on fire
comments powered by Disqus. History buffs may want to know which president was in office when the White House was set on fire. The White House was set on fire twice since the founding of the United States in 1776. 1  The first fire occurred during the War of 1812; James Madison was the elected president at the time. 2  The second fire occurred in 1929; Herbert Hoover was in office then.