The Way We Worked: Supporting the President

President Gerald R. Ford confers with personal secretary Dorothy Downton.

President Gerald R. Ford and his personal secretary, Dorothy Downton, make final arrangements in the Oval Office prior to President Jimmy Carter’s inauguration on January 20, 1977. Before joining Ford’s congressional staff in 1967, Downton worked for the Federal Bureau of Investigation. She later served as personal secretary to Ford while he was vice president and then as president. The role of the president’s secretary is one of the oldest in the history of the White House, going back to George Washington’s presidency. Today, the president’s personal secretary is an administrative assistant responsible for the president’s appointments, correspondence and greeting official visitors.

Did You Know?

The Executive Office of the President has roughly 4,000 employees, including many civil service policy experts who bridge presidential administrations, providing continuity for government programs. Visit www.whitehouse.gov/

About the Society for History in the Federal Government

This photo is from the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library, National Archives, courtesy of the National Archives History Office, in collaboration with the Society for History in the Federal Government (SHFG), bringing together government professionals, academics, consultants, students and citizens interested in understanding federal history work and the historical development of the federal government. To join, visit www.shfg.org.

The Way We Worked celebrates the past 100 years of public service through archival images. Eargo and GEHA are proud sponsors of NARFE’s Centennial.