Lights On!: Ike Hoover Electrifies the White House - Tapa dura

In 1891,nineteen-year-old Ike Hoover was sent by the Edison Electric Company to assist in the wiring of the White House for electric lights. Like many Americans at the time, President Benjamin Harrison and his wife were extremely afraid of electricity. In fact, the Harrisons were so afraid they didn’t want to turn the lights on and off. After completing the wiring job, Ike was asked to stick around to make the transition to electric lights easier. He stayed, and remained a White House employee for 42 years. 

In 1891 electric lights were just beginning to replace gas lamps. Congress appropriated money for the installation of an Edison generator in the State, War, and Navy Building next door to the White House to serve both buildings. The White House wiring was done by Ike Hoover. He remained a public servant in the White House during ten presidential terms, from Benjamin Harrison to Franklin Roosevelt. This book is part of his amazing story.