White House horticulturist Dale Haney, right, holds presidential pet Barney, as visitors wait for then-President George W. Bush and then-first lady Laura Bush’s arrival on the South Lawn at the White House, Aug. 20, 2006, in Washington. (Manuel Balce Ceneta, Associated Press)
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WASHINGTON — Presidents come and go, but one constant through 10 presidencies has been Dale Haney, the chief White House groundskeeper, who, as of this month, has spent 50 years serving the families — and many of their pets — who have called the mansion home.
Haney’s chief responsibility is to care for the vast lawns, colorful flower gardens, hundreds of trees, thousands of shrubs and burgeoning vegetable garden on 18 acres of property surrounding the White House. He also picks out the official White House Christmas tree every year — and already chose this year’s fir from a Pennsylvania farm.
To honor Haney, Biden and his wife, Jill, surprised Haney on Monday by planting an elm tree on the south grounds. Biden said visitors in future years are “going to be looking at this tree and asking, ‘Who’s Dale?”
Haney joked that he “might still be here.”
But Haney is perhaps better known to many at the White House, from staff to Secret Service officers, as the keeper of the president’s pets.
“He’s like the whisperer,” said Anita McBride, who was a young aide in the correspondence office in Ronald Reagan’s administration when she first met Haney.
These days, Haney is often seen walking Commander, President Joe Biden’s German shepherd.
“The first thing that I think about when I think about Dale is his relationship with the first family’s animals,” said Gary Walters, who had a lengthy employment record of his own, serving four presidents over 20 years as White House chief usher, managing the residence staff.
Walters recalled the chaos of the 9/11 terrorist attacks in 2001 and the evacuation of the White House while President George W. Bush was in Florida. Walters and some of his staff had stayed behind despite the evacuation. They were on the South Lawn when Walters turned around “and there was Dale standing with Barney under one arm and Kitty Cat under the other.”
“He had to find them and was looking for direction on what to do with them,” Walters said of Bush’s Scottish terrier and cat. The pets eventually were reunited with Laura Bush at a remote location.
A two-year plan
Anyone starting a career these days is unlikely to still have that job a half century later, but Haney’s long employment record fits right in at the White House.
He’s a member of the operations staff — the scores of housekeepers, butlers, electricians, carpenters, gardeners and others — who aren’t involved in the policy or politics. Their job is to keep the place running and take care of the families. Many hold their jobs for decades.
“It’s a unique role within the White House,” said McBride, who encountered Haney again when she returned to work for Presidents George H.W. Bush and later, for his son.
Haney had planned to work just two years at the White House when he started in 1972, during Richard Nixon’s presidency. He had a bachelor’s degree in horticulture and wanted to go back to school to continue his studies.
He was interning in the gardens at the Dumbarton Oaks museum in Washington when the White House called over looking for someone who could help with its grounds care. He interviewed and started work six months later as a gardener with the National Park Service, which cares for the White House grounds.
Haney became foreman, then chief horticulturalist, before he was promoted to grounds superintendent in 2008, a position that made him part of the White House…
Read More: Meet Dale Haney, the White House groundskeeper for 50 years