Clement Conger

Clement Ellis Conger (October 15, 1912 – January 11, 2004) was an American museum curator and public servant. He served as director of the Office of Fine Arts at the U.S. Department of State, where he worked as curator of both the Diplomatic Reception Rooms and Blair House. He also served as Curator of the White House under U.S. 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 Assistant Secretary of the Combined Chiefs of Staff.

Clement Conger
Conger in November 1961
4th White House Curator
In office 1970–1986
President	Richard Nixon Gerald Ford Jimmy Carter Ronald Reagan
Preceded by	James R. Ketchum
Succeeded by	Rex Scouten
1st Curator of the Diplomatic Reception Rooms
In office 1961–1992
Deputy	Gail F. Serfaty
Preceded by	Position established
Succeeded by	Harry Schnabel Jr.
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, U.S.
Died	January 11, 2004(2004-01-11) (aged 91) Delray Beach, Florida, U.S.
Cause of death	Pneumonia
Resting place	Glendale, California, U.S.
Spouse	Lianne Hopkins Conger
Children	William Jay Shelley
Education	Strayer College George Washington University
Occupation	Cultural heritage management
Known for	Creation of the Diplomatic Reception Rooms
Committees	Fine Arts Committee
Military service
Allegiance	United States of America
Branch/service	United States Army
Years of service	c.1940–1945
Rank	Major
Commands	Assistant Secretary of the Combined Chiefs of Staff

Early life and education

The John Quincy Adams State Drawing Room, part of the Diplomatic Reception Rooms at the United States Department of State, where Conger assembled most of this furniture and art

Conger was born on October 15, 1912, in Harrisonburg, Virginia. He attended and graduated from Strayer College in Washington, D.C.

Career

Following graduation from Strayer College, Conger 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 United States State Department, where he served as 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]

Death

Conger died of pneumonia in Delray Beach, Florida, on January 11, 2004, and was interred in Glendale, California.

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