Doorkeeper at the Library of Congress
William Beckett stayed on as presidential coachman into the McKinley administration, but soon fell ill enough to require surgery. Afterwards, he was no longer able to drive professionally and needed to find new employment. President McKinley himself recommended Beckett to John Russell Young, the Librarian of Congress.
In 1897, Beckett began the last chapter of his career as an employee of the Library of Congress. After a brief stint in the copyright department, he was reassigned to the main reading room, where he was the doorkeeper. The entrance to the reading room and its cavernous interior are shown here.
Now in his sixties, Beckett’s long and distinguished career earned him a profile in The Colored American Magazine. The article begins with a description of Beckett at the Library of Congress: “It is remarkable with what ease, kindness and a polish which comes only from contact with distinguished men, he handles the crowds who daily visit the Library.”
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Beckett worshipped at the Metropolitan AME Church on M Street (Library of Congress).