A Witness to History, He Served 36 years in the White House

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From Watoday.com:

For more than three decades Eugene Allen worked in the White House, a black man unknown to the headlines. During some of those years, harsh segregation laws lay upon the land.

Mr. Eugene Allen served as butler in the White House under eight administrations, beginning in 1952, serving during the end of President Harry S. Truman's presidency.

From the article:

In the mid-1950s invitations to the White House were still fraught with racial subtext. When the Daughters of the American Revolution refused to allow pianist Hazel Scott to perform at Constitution Hall because of her race, many letters poured into the White House decrying the DAR's position. First lady Bess Truman was a member of the organisation, but made no effort to get the DAR to alter its policy.

Mr. Allen retired in 1986 after 34 years of service at the White House.

He cast his vote for Barack Obama on Tuesday, November 4, 2008.

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