Lights On! Ike Hoover Electrifies the White House by Cynthia Simmelink Becker

In 1891, nineteen-year-old Irwin “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 held jobs in White House for forty-two years.

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