Through Five Administrations: Reminiscences of Colonel William H. Crook

What it is

This is a memoir titled Through Five Administrations, based on the recollections of Colonel William H. Crook, who served as bodyguard to President Lincoln. It was compiled and edited by Margarita Spalding Gerry and published by Harper and Brothers in October 1910. The book covers Lincoln, the Johnson and Grant administrations, and later presidencies. One of its chapters is titled Rutherford B. Hayes in the White House, and another covers social life in the Hayes administration. The copy we hold is a scan of the book from the Internet Archive, not the original printed volume.

Why it matters

Crook spent years close to the White House, so his memoir gives an insider's view of Washington politics across several presidencies. Its account of the Hayes years shows how the White House and its social life appeared to a long-serving staff member. Because the book was written decades after the events, it mixes personal memory with the author's own view of the people involved.

Look closer

• Which presidents and events does Crook focus on, and why might he have chosen them?
• How does Crook describe life in the White House, and what details seem most personal?
• What does the memoir leave out about the Hayes administration, and whose voices are missing?