Which US president was the first ever to be photographed in the White House?

McGruff

This turned out to be a bit of a stinky question. There is a lot of conflicting information. Depending on where you look, you will find John Quincy Adams (1825-29), William Henry Harrison (1841), John Tyler (1841-1845), or James K. Polk (1845-49) all being credited as the first president to have his photograph taken. Then you have James Buchanan (1857-61) or Abraham Lincoln (1861-65) being the first to have inauguration photos taken. You would assume some of these photos would have been taken at the executive mansion, but our question asks about photos taken "in' the White House." I believe that distinction goes to James K. Polk. James K. Polk was not the first President to be photographed... but Polk was a highly sought after subject for early photographers when portrait photography was really coming into its own... Several very important "first" photographs were taken during Polk's presidency. This photograph of Polk and his cabinet (minus Secretary of State James Buchanan) is not only the first photo of a president and his cabinet, but it is also the first interior photograph of the White House. The photograph was taken by John Plumbe in the State Dining Room and shows new wallpaper and chairs purchased by the Polks... Incidentally, the first exterior photographs of the White House were also taken during the Polk Administration and are housed in the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. http://www.jameskpolk.com/new/exhibits.asp John Quincy Adams (1825-29) was the first US president to be photographed. http://history.searchbeat.com/johnquincyadams.htm I believe James Buchanan (1857-61) was first to have inauguration photos taken. I wasn't able to find photographs of Franklin Pierce's inauguration. http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/pihtml/piwi02.html Mar 17 04, 2:51 AM