White House's Chief Usher Is Bowing Out

Gary Walters, the longtime chief usher at the White House who has kept the secrets of seven first families, will retire at the end of the year after nearly four decades of service.

Walters, 60, who manages the 132-room mansion with a staff of 95 and a $10 million budget, said last night that he told first lady Laura Bush and the president last week of his decision.

"It's been nearly 40 years of not having an opportunity to set my own agenda and never knowing when I'd be home, " Walters said. "It's been wonderful but it just felt like it was time for me to go."

In a statement, President Bush and the first lady praised Walters, who also worked for the first Bush White House, and said that they were "grateful for making our family feel at home."

Walters arrived at the White House in 1970 as a uniformed Secret Service agent. He joined the usher's staff in 1976 and became chief usher in 1986 under President Ronald Reagan.

He has been charged with special diets and teenage parties, tending dogs and overseeing chefs. In addition, he oversees housekeepers, cooks, electricians and carpenters. And everyone knows that he knows. Walters was even called to testify during the Whitewater investigation in the mid-1990s, when billing records that had been subpoenaed two years earlier suddenly appeared at the White House.

"He's been pushing the buttons at the White House for 21 years, and he will not be an easy gentleman to replace," said Roland Mesnier, who retired as White House pastry chef in 2004. "It is a very difficult job. It's like a double-edged knife. You have to make sure everything is done properly at the institution, and you have to protect the first family. Sometimes it's a tough call."

Walters made one of those calls when the Clintons were departing in 2000. He approached the White House counsel's office to ask whether the family should be taking furnishings that he believed were government property. Although he was told that the items belonged to the Clintons, the items were returned. That was one instance when Walters was not shy about sharing a story with the media.

According to Susan Whitson, a spokeswoman for Laura Bush, Walters said his predecessor had once advised him to give his successor a couple of years to get ready for a new president. With the Bushes leaving the White House in 2009, now was his time to follow that advice.

Walters said he has given some thought to writing a book -- but certainly not a tell-all.

He said that he made suggestions to the Bushes about a process for succession, but he would not disclose whether he had recommended any specific replacement.

Staff researcher Madonna Lebling contributed to this report.