Thread by @WhiteHouseHstry

Imagine being invited to stay at the White House with the first family.

Bryan Untiedt had the privilege when he was thirteen years old and stayed with President Herbert Hoover and First Lady Lou Hoover in 1931. (1/9)

Untiedt came to the Hoovers’ attention when he acted years beyond his age, saving lives when his school bus became stranded during a deadly blizzard in Towner, Colorado, on March 26, 1931. (2/9)

Five children, including Bryan’s younger brother Orlo, died before they were rescued. But Bryan’s actions, keeping the children active on the bus and giving them his clothes while they waited, prevented even more deaths. (3/9)

Untiedt had special insider access at the People’s House when he stayed from April 30 to May 2, 1931. He received a White House tour from the first lady and had several chats with President Hoover, taking a picture together. (4/9)

Image Credit: The New York Public Library

According to one account, Untiedt stayed in the bedroom where Charles Lindbergh slept when he visited the White House. He visited popular Washington, D.C. attractions like the Washington Monument, the Capitol, and Lindbergh’s Spirit of St. Louis at the Smithsonian. (5/9)

Untiedt also reportedly visited George Washington’s Mount Vernon estate with the first family’s friend Mrs. Stark McMullin, Queen Rambai Barni of Siam, and Mrs. Hoover. (6/9)

Untiedt glimpsed into the Hoovers’ private lives during his stay, watching the president play Hoover-Ball, eating with the first family, and playing his harmonica for their grandchildren Herbert III and Peggy Ann. (7/9)

While at the White House he received 24 harmonicas from a Philadelphia band, sharing them with the Hoover grandchildren, “in a musically riotous procession they circled the White House lawn.” (8/9)

Untiedt described the Hoovers as “awfully nice” people. They continued to keep in touch with Bryan and the Untiedt family for years after his visit, offering financial support when their farm fell on hard times and to pay for Bryan’s schooling. (9/9)