Mrs. F. L. Gillette (1828 - 1926)

Fanny Lemira Gillette (Mrs. F.L. Gillette), a domestic professional and cook book writer. Her popularity as a cook book author started late in life; in 1887, at nearly sixty years old, she published White House Cook Book: A Selection of Choice Recipes Original and Selected, During a Period of Forty Years' Practical Housekeeping. Its name was more marketing ploy than description, as the cookbook contained no information about White House cookery other than a few photographs of White House First Ladies. Later editions, however, were co-authored by White House steward Hugo Ziemann, and included chapters on menus for special White House occasions (including General Grant's Birthday Dinner and a buffet for 1000 people) and on the management and direction of White House dinners.