William Seale

William Seale was an American historian and author whose primary interest was in historic architecture, particularly that of the White House, state capitols, and historic governors' mansions, who was "instrumental in preserving many historic structures across the country", including private homes.^[1] In 1983, he founded the scholarly journal White House History, which he edited for the White House Historical Association until his death.

Seale was born and raised in

From 1973 to 1974, Seale was curator of cultural history at the Smithsonian Institution. He then became an independent scholar, publishing many books and essays, and frequently appearing on C-SPAN to discuss the history and preservation of significant American buildings.^[5]

His restoration projects include the

• Texas Riverman: The Life and Times of Captain Andrew Smyth (University of Texas Press, 1966)
• Sam Houston’s Wife: A Biography of Margaret Lea Houston (University of Oklahoma Press, 1970)
• Texas in Our Time (Hendrick-Long, 1972)
• The Tasteful Interlude: American Interiors Through the Camera’s Eye (Praeger Publishers, 1975)
• Temples of Democracy: The State Capitols of the USA (Harcourt 1976)
• Courthouse (Bonanza, 1977)
• Restoration of the Kentucky Governor’s Mansion: A History (Harmony House, 1984)
• The Virginia Governor’s Mansion: A History, with Henry-Russell Hitchcock (Virginia State Archives,, 1985)
• The President’s House: A History, 2 vols. (White House Historical Association, 1986 and 2008)
• Recreating the Historic House Interior (American Association for State and Local History Press, 1988)'
• Restoration of the Michigan Capitol, State of Michigan, Kent State University Press, 1988), with Erik Kvalsvik
• Domestic Views: Historic Houses of the Colonial Dames of America (American Institute of Architects, 1992)
• Of Houses and Time: Personal History of the National Trust Houses (Abrams, 1992)
• Michigan’s Capitol (University of Michigan Press, 1995)
• The White House Garden (White House Historical Association, 1996)
• Domes of America, with Eric Oxendorf (Pomegranate Press, 1998)
• The Alexandria Library Company: A History (Alexandria Library Company, 2001)
• Alexandria: Historic Guide (City of Alexandria, Va., 2003)
• The White House: History of an American Idea (White House Historical Association, 2005)
• The Imperial Season: America’s Capital in the Time of the First Ambassadors, 1893–1918 (Smithsonian Press, 2013)
• Blair House: The President's Guest House (2016)
• A White House of Stone (2017)

References