July 21, 1906 Harry S. McAlpin, the first African American admitted to a White House press conference, was born in Louisville, Kentucky. On February 8, 1944, while working for the National Negro Press and the Atlanta Daily World, he was advised by the head of the White House Correspondents Association (WHCA) that he was not welcome to the press conference. McAlpin attended anyway and at the end of the conference was welcomed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Later, McAlpin was accepted into the WHCA and covered Presidents Roosevelt and Harry S. Truman for 51 black newspapers. He was also a navy war correspondent and spokesman for the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Later, McAlpin practiced law in Louisville. McAlpin is presumed dead, but the date of his death is not known.
