1. Zephyr Wright was an African-American civil rights activist and personal chef for President Lyndon B Johnson and First Lady Lady Bird Johnson from 1942 until 1969.
17 Facts About Zephyr Wright
1. 2.
Zephyr Wright attended Wiley College, where she studied Home Economics.
3.
At Wiley, Wright took classes from professor and activist Melvin B Tolson, who inspired her to become engaged with the civil rights movement.
4.
Zephyr Wright accompanied Mrs Johnson and another newly hired staff member, John Hickey, on their drive to Washington, DC The three had difficulty finding restaurants and hotels throughout the trip since segregated establishments often refused to serve Zephyr Wright and Hickey.
5.
When Zephyr Wright moved with the president's family to Washington, DC, several hotels in the Southern United States refused to let her stay because she was black.
6.
Zephyr Wright often relayed messages to President Johnson that she heard from people she encountered in her daily life, both of approval and disapproval of the Johnson administration.
7.
Zephyr Wright frequently cooked for guests of Johnson, including Speaker of the House Sam Rayburn.
8.
Zephyr Wright spoke of serving food to longtime anti-civil rights senator Richard Russell Jr.
9.
Zephyr Wright named several instances in which she and Johnson traded lighthearted words and poked fun at each other's sleep schedules.
10.
Zephyr Wright had been briefly replaced in her role cooking for the Johnson family by French-born White House Executive Chef Rene Verdon, who had served the Kennedy family; however, by 1965 Johnson had disagreements with chef Verdon on creative differences and cost.
11.
Zephyr Wright returned to cooking specifically for the Johnson family, and the role of White House Executive Chef was given to Henry Haller.
12.
Around 1966, Zephyr Wright taught Luci Baines Johnson how to cook.
13.
Zephyr Wright was married to Sammy Wright, a chauffeur for President Johnson and his family, who preceded her in death in 1969.
14.
Zephyr Wright died of a heart condition on April 25,1988, in Washington, DC.
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Many of her recipes live on, including her "Pedernales River chili", published in the book Eating With Uncle Sam ; and "Shrimp Curry A La Zephyr Wright", published by NPR.
16.
Zephyr Wright was named by The New York Times in 2019 as one of the "6 Black Chefs Who Changed the History of Food".
17.
Zephyr Wright was portrayed in a 2023 episode of the Max series Julia by actress Deidrie Henry.