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Family Life at the White House Historical Photo Essay

President Benjamin Harrison's grandchildren, Mary McKee, Marthena Harrison and Baby McKee, have a party in the second-floor nursery of the White House. First Lady Frances Cleveland holds baby Esther, the first and only child of a president to be born at the White House. Esther was born on September 9 , 1893. When Theodore and Edith Roosevelt moved into the White House in 1901, they brought six children with them. The crowded living and office space in the White House led President Roosevelt to construct a new office building in 1902. Today that building is called the West Wing. President Franklin Roosevelt poses with his 13 grandchildren on his fourth inaugural, January 20, 1945.
President Dwight Eisenhower's grandson, David, enjoys a Roy Rogers birthday party at the White House in 1956. The Eisenhower grandchildren, David and Susan, were each treated to one "special" or themed birthday party at the White House. President John Kennedy meets with his halloween-clad children, Caroline and John, Jr., in the Oval Office. The Ronald Reagan family poses in the Red Room for a family portrait on his inaugural, January 20, 1981. The Bush family enjoys a game of tee ball on the White House lawn on June 3, 2001. From left to right are Barbara Bush, Florida Governor Jeb Bush, former President George H.W. Bush, Laura Bush and President George W. Bush.