History of The White House Gift Shop®
WHGS


Established 1946 by President Truman and Members of U.S. Secret Service
U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Exclusive Trademarks



Shown Above is the USTPO Trademark: The United States Patent and Trademark Office Recognized the Legacy of the "Only Official Original" White House Gift Shop and Granted Sole, Exclusive, and Primary Trademark Registration Protections to The White House Gift Shop® and The White House Gift Shop, Est. 1946 and by Law all Variants Thereof.

Special Note from CEO: White House Gift Shop does NOT OFFER nor will ever offer its gifts and products on Amazon or other mass sites to protect the value, meaning, provenance, and exclusivity of your special gifts, collectibles, displays, or items for everyday enjoyment.

For your protection, We are NOT associated with the souvenir store across from the White House; In fact, we won a judgement against that store this year at the United States Patent & Trademark Office, Washington D.C. We take all actions necessary to protect you, your acquisitions, and the nearly 80 year history and unique provenance of The White House Gift Shop, Es.t 1946. In 2025, we will become a permanent and perpetually endowed Foundation for Human Good in the U.S. and Globally.


Anthony Giannini, CEO, USA, USAF-R
Military/U.S. Certs: Antiterrorism Officer (U.S. Defense Security Academy), Counter Intelligence Special Agent (USA), Advanced Intelligence Analyst, Member UGOV.GOV (Team Member 2017-2016: JSOC, NSA, CIA, FBI, DEA, USS, ONI), Protection of the President, Medical Intelligence/CBRNE (USAF), Advanced Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) Operator (US Army), Advanced Aerial Imagery Analyst, Signal System & Interceptor Analyst,Human Intelligence/HUMINT, Medical & CBRNE Intelligence, Counter Electronic Warfare (CEW), Technical Training Administrator (U.S. Air Force), Naval Infrastructure Protection, Counter IED Crew Task Force Leader (U.S. Marine Corps),Counter IED CREW Team Leader (University of Military Intelligence); Law of Intelligence/INT-LAW (Army Judge Advocate General School/JAG); Counter Human Trafficking in Children, Department of Defense Risk Analyst (Defense Security Service Academy), FMR. Strategic Advisor & Principal Benefactor to U.S. Secret Service UDF Board of Directors. Combat & Direct Combat Support Veteran.

The origin of the White House Gift Shop, long known as WHGS, began as The White House Flower Fund which was renamed
The White HousePolice Benefit Fund on September 9, 1946 by President Harry S. Truman and permanently ordered in 1951 by presidential memorandum.


The White House Police Fund's objectives were to provide flowers when a member had a death in their immediate family and to present a special gift to retiring White House Police (now the Uniformed Division of United States Secret Service) members.


On November 1, 1950, White House Police Officer Leslie Coffelt was killed and two other Officers, Joseph Davidson and Donald Birdzell, were injured while defending President Truman during an assassination attempt at Blair House. Following this assassination attempt and the heroic actions of Officer Coffelt, President Truman by permanent Presidential Order in coordination with then Chief of Secret Service, James Rowley and Army Brigadier General Harry Vaughan, enlarged the mission of the White House Police Fund which was renamed The White House Gift Shop, Est. 1946.







On November 1st, of each year, the men and women of the United States Secret Service Uniformed Division honor the anniversary of Officer Coffelt's supreme sacrifice with a wreath laying ceremony at Blair House.






Thank you for you support!