Automated Sync Active • Database updated as of Recent • Browse All Orders →
★
Executive Orders Archive

Every President • 1789 to Present
Search orders...
Executive Order 11145 Constitutional Neutral (+0.02)

Executive Order 11145—Providing for a Curator of the White House and Establishing a Committee for the Preservation of the White House

Lyndon B. Johnson Lyndon B. Johnson
•
Saturday, March 7, 1964
•
3 min read (651 words)

Plain-English Translation & Framers' Constitutional Analysis

Early Statesman synthesis distilling legal jargon into practical meaning, statutory anchors, and structural constitutional impacts.

This executive order, signed by President Lyndon B. Johnson on 1964-03-07, establishes federal administrative policy concerning "Providing for a Curator of the White House and Establishing a Committee for the Preservation of the White House." It outlines operative directives for executive department officers, delegating enforcement responsibilities and establishing official governance guidelines.

Constitutional Assessment: Evaluated against the Fifth Amendment, this action touches upon property or economic rights. An early statesman would insist upon strict adherence to due process of law and the constitutional guarantee that private holdings shall not be encumbered or taken for public purposes without just compensation and lawful process.

Key Directives & Operative Actions

▪ 586) has authorized the care and preservation of the historic and artistic contents of the White House and has given the President certain responsibilities with regard thereto: NOW, THEREFORE, by virtue of the authority vested in me as President of the United States, it is ordered as follows: Section 1.
▪ The Curator shall assist in the preservation and protection of the articles of furniture, fixtures, and decorative objects used or displayed in the principal corridor on the ground floor and the principal public rooms on the first floor of the White House, and in such other areas in the White House as the President may designate.
▪ There is hereby established the Committee for the Preservation of the White House, hereinafter referred to as the "Committee".
▪ The Committee shall be composed of the Director of the National Park Service, the Curator of the White House, the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, the Chairman of the Commission of Fine Arts, the Director of the National Gallery of Art, the Chief Usher of the White House, and seven other members to be appointed by the President.

Constitutional & Societal Entities Impacted

🏛️ Executive Departments & Federal Civil Servants 🏛️ Private Citizens & Property Owners
Total Words
651
3,974 characters
Estimated Read Time
3 min
@ 200 words / min
Flesch-Kincaid
19.2
Post-Grad reading level
Constitutional Polarity
+0.02
Framers' Alignment index
📜

Scholarly & Legal Citations 

Exec. Order No. 11145, Lyndon B. Johnson (Mar 7, 1964). Available at https://executiveordersarchive.org/orders/app-executive-order-11145-providing-for-curator-the-white-house-and-establishing-committee-for.

Official Document Text

Source: The American Presidency Project (UCSB Archive)

Original Source →
WHEREAS the White House, as the home of the highest elective officer of the United States —symbolizes the American ideal of responsible self-government —is emblematic of our democracy and our national purpose —has been intimately associated with the personal and social life of the Presidents of the United States and many of their official acts —occupies a particular place in the heart of every American citizen, and WHEREAS certain historic rooms and entranceways in the White House —possess great human interest and historic significance —traditionally have been open to visitors —have provided pleasure and patriotic inspiration to millions of our citizens —have come to be regarded as a public museum and the proud possession of all Americans, and WHEREAS the Congress by law (Act of September 22, 1961), (75 Stat. 586) has authorized the care and preservation of the historic and artistic contents of the White House and has given the President certain responsibilities with regard thereto: NOW, THEREFORE, by virtue of the authority vested in me as President of the United States, it is ordered as follows: Section 1. (a) There shall be in the White House a Curator of the White House. The Curator shall assist in the preservation and protection of the articles of furniture, fixtures, and decorative objects used or displayed in the principal corridor on the ground floor and the principal public rooms on the first floor of the White House, and in such other areas in the White House as the President may designate. (b) The Curator shall report to the President and shall make recommendations with respect to the articles, fixtures, and objects to be declared by the President, under section 2 of the Act of September 22, 1961, to be of historic or artistic interest. Sec. 2. There is hereby established the Committee for the Preservation of the White House, hereinafter referred to as the "Committee". The Committee shall be composed of the Director of the National Park Service, the Curator of the White House, the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, the Chairman of the Commission of Fine Arts, the Director of the National Gallery of Art, the Chief Usher of the White House, and seven other members to be appointed by the President. The Director of the National Park Service shall serve as Chairman of the Committee and shall designate an employee of that Service to act as Executive Secretary of the Committee. Members of the Committee shall serve without compensation. Sec. 3. (a) The Committee shall report to the President and shall advise the Director of the National Park Service with respect to the discharge of his responsibility under the Act of September 22, 1961, for the preservation and the interpretation of the museum character of the principal corridor on the ground floor and the principal public rooms on the first floor of the White House. Among other things, the Committee shall make recommendations as to the articles of furniture, fixtures, and decorative objects which shall be used or displayed in the aforesaid areas of the White House and as to the decor and arrangements therein best suited to enhance the historic and artistic values of the White House and of such articles, fixtures, and objects. (b) The Committee shall cooperate with the White House Historical Association, a nonprofit organization heretofore formed under the laws of the District of Columbia. (c) The Committee is authorized to invite individuals who are distinguished or interested in the fine arts to attend its meetings or otherwise to assist in carrying out its functions. Sec. 4. Consonant with law, each Federal department and agency represented on the Committee shall furnish necessary assistance to the Committee in accordance with section 214 of the Act of May 3, 1945, 59 Stat. 134 (31 U.S.C. 691). The Department of the Interior shall furnish necessary administrative services for the Committee. LYNDON B. JOHNSON The White House, March 7, 1964