J. B. West

J. B. West was a White House administrator who served presidents from Franklin D. Roosevelt through Richard Nixon and became chief usher in 1957. Upstairs at the White House, written with journalist Mary Lynn Kotz, recounts his responsibility for the executive mansion’s daily operation, staff, ceremonies, maintenance, and private family arrangements. West observed major renovations and state occasions while working closely with first ladies including Eleanor Roosevelt, Bess Truman, Mamie Eisenhower, Jacqueline Kennedy, Lady Bird Johnson, and Pat Nixon. The Washington Post’s obituary identifies his long service and the 1973 memoir, while Open Library summarizes the book’s view of six presidential households. West writes from an operational position rather than a political office, making domestic logistics and institutional continuity central to the narrative. Upstairs at the White House records how the residence functioned behind public events, including the coordination required when administrations changed. Kotz helped shape those recollections into an accessible account that remains closely associated with West’s firsthand knowledge of the building and its families.