Jump to content

Clement Conger

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Topshelver (talk | contribs) at 16:19, 16 September 2022 (Life: award). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Clement Conger
Clement Conger smiling
Clement Ellis “Clem” Conger
4th White House Curator
In office
1970–1986
PresidentRichard Nixon
Gerald Ford
Jimmy Carter
Ronald Reagan
Preceded byJames R. Ketchum
Succeeded byRex Scouten
1st Curator of the Diplomatic Reception Rooms
In office
1961–1992
DeputyGail F. Serfaty
Preceded byPosition established
Succeeded byGail F. Serfaty
Deputy Chief of Protocol of the United States
In office
1958–1961
Assistant Chief of Protocol of the United States
In office
1955–1957
Special Assistant, Arms Control and Disarmament Agency
Assistant Secretary of the Combined Chiefs of Staff
In office
c.1943–c.1945
Personal details
Born
Clement Ellis Conger

(1912-10-15)October 15, 1912
Harrisonburg, Virginia
DiedJanuary 11, 2004(2004-01-11) (aged 91)
Delray Beach, Florida
Cause of deathPneumonia
Resting placeGlendale, California
SpouseLianne Hopkins Conger
Children
  • William
  • Jay
  • Shelley
EducationStrayer College
George Washington University
OccupationCultural heritage management
Known forCreation of the Diplomatic Reception Rooms
CommitteesFine Arts Committee
Military service
AllegianceUnited States of America
Branch/service United States Army
Years of servicec.1940–1945
Rank Major
CommandsAssistant Secretary of the Combined Chiefs of Staff

Clement Ellis Conger (October 15, 1912 – January 11, 2004) was an American museum curator and public servant. He served as director of the U.S. Department of State Office of Fine Arts, where in that role he worked as curator of both the Diplomatic Reception Rooms and Blair House. He also served as Curator of the White House, at the pleasure of Presidents Nixon, Ford, Carter, and Reagan.[1][2] Prior to working as a curator, Conger served as a Foreign Service Officer, as the Deputy Chief of Protocol of the United States and as the Assistant Secretary of the Combined Chiefs of Staff.

Life

John Quincy Adams State Drawing Room, Diplomatic Reception Rooms, U.S. Department of State. Conger assembled most of this furniture and art.

He graduated from Strayer College. He worked as an office manager for the Chicago Tribune, and for U.S. Rubber Co. He was assistant secretary for the Combined Chiefs of Staff, during World War II. He worked for the State Department, and became deputy chief of protocol, from 1958 to 1961. In 1992, he received the Henry Francis du Pont Award from the Winterthur Museum, Garden and Library, which recognizes awardees' "contributions of national significance to the knowledge, preservation, and enjoyment of American decorative arts, architecture, landscape design, and gardens."[3]

Works

  • Clement E. Conger, Mary K. Itsell, Treasures of State: Fine and Decorative Art in the Diplomatic Reception Rooms of the U.S. Department of State, H.N. Abrams, 1991, ISBN 978-0-8109-3911-0

References