Perfectly Presidential Plumbing Facts

The Fascinating Story of Plumbing at the White House

The White House isn't just the seat of power for the President of the United States; it's also a home. While the White House may be the most famous home in America, it hasn't always been the most comfortable one. While the flushing toilet was invented in the time of Queen Elizabeth I of England, the White House didn't have one until 1853. The history of plumbing in the White House begins before the first toilet and spans into the present day.

The Presidential House on Pennsylvania Ave Gets Plumbing

The White House's first cornerstone was laid in 1792, but its plumbing wasn't installed until about 30 years later in 1825. President John Quincy Adams found the gardening situation at the White House lacking and installed spouts to assist in his penchant for botany and horticulture. It was not until President Andrew Jackson took office that someone installed actual indoor pipework around 1833.

After President Jackson's endeavors, plumbing became a common area of improvement for a century in the White House. President Pierce followed by installing hot water taps in the bathing rooms, replacing the old-school need to heat baths with coal fires. His successor, President Fillmore, installed flushing toilets in 1853, and the White House's bathing situation became decidedly more comfortable for its residents. 

President Taft's Huge Tub

There's a funny story about the White House's bathrooms. It's the tale of President Taft, a man who easily weighed more than 300 pounds in his prime, getting stuck in the bathtub of the White House. Though the story is likely untrue, it has stuck around to this day thanks to President Taft's love of enormous bathtubs.

During the early days of his presidency, Taft visited the Panama Canal on a warship. The captain, a smart fellow, knew the president would need a bath to accommodate his girth. An enormous bath was commissioned and installed on the ship. Taft liked it so much that he had similarly sized tubs installed in the White House. 

The White House tub was built by a Manhattan company and was the world's largest single-person tub ever built. Taft's tub was 7 feet long and weighed about a ton! Taft's tub is famously depicted in a photo in the 1909 Engineering Review journal, where four men are seen sitting comfortably in the presidential tub. 

The Watergate "Plumbers" 

The White House has been home to infamous moments of history just as much as it has been the scene of revolutionary change. One such notorious moment was the Watergate Scandal of President Nixon's presidency. This event resulted from botched wiretapping and burglaries on behalf of the president, and the scandal wouldn't have been possible without Nixon's plumbers.

The President's plumbers weren't at the White House to repair pipes and unclog toilets, but they were hired to stop leaks of the informational sort. Spying, subterfuge, and political machinations became the specialty of the White House Plumbers of the Special Investigations Unit employed by Nixon. This group was a massive part of Nixon's impeachment trial resignation. 

It shouldn't come as a surprise that America's house on Pennsylvania Avenue has a plumbing history as unique as the nation itself!

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