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((Short description|Chef to U.S. President Lyndon Johnson))
((Infobox person
| name               = Zephyr Wright
| image              = Signing_of_the_Voting_Rights_Act.jpg
| caption            = Photograph of the signing of the Voting Rights Act in 1965. Zephyr Wright is second from the right.
| birth_name         = Zephyr Black
| birth_date         = ((Birth year|1915))
| birth_place        = [[Marshall, Texas]], U.S.
| death_date         = ((Death date and age|1988|04|25|1915))<ref name="Obit" />
| death_place        = [[Washington D.C.]], U.S.<ref name="Obit" />
| alma_mater         = [[Wiley College]]
| occupation         = Presidential personal chef, maid<ref name=":4" />
| known_for          = Civil rights activism
| spouse             = Sammy Wright<ref name=":4" />
))

'''Zephyr Wright''' ([[Birth name|née]] '''Zephyr Black''';<ref name=":7">((Cite web|others=Harrison County Historical Commission|title=Zephyr Wright, White House Cook and President LBJ's Conscience|url=https://www.marshallnewsmessenger.com/news/zephyr-wright-white-house-cook-and-president-lbj-s-conscience/article_beafdeae-325a-11e9-bf66-63ba00409663.html|access-date=2022-02-06|website=Marshall News Messenger|language=en))</ref> 1915 – April 25, 1988)<ref name="Obit">((Cite news|last=Smith|first=J. Y.|date=1988-04-27|title=Burnita S. Matthews Dies|language=en-US|newspaper=Washington Post|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/1988/04/27/burnita-s-matthews-dies/0651341f-ddd7-42b6-be16-36f6a900183c/|access-date=2022-02-05|issn=0190-8286))</ref> was an African-American [[Civil rights movement|civil rights activist]] and personal [[chef]] for President [[Lyndon Johnson]] and [[Lady Bird Johnson]] from 1942 until 1969.<ref name="Shreve">((cite book|author=David Shreve|title=Lyndon B. Johnson: Towards the Great Society, February 1, 1964 - May 31, 1964|date=2007-10-30|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ha3uOUiEoYUC&pg=PA280|publisher=Norton|isbn=978-0-393-06286-1|pages=280–))</ref><ref>''The Residence: Inside the Private World of the White House'' by [[Kate Andersen Brower]] (2015).</ref> Wright was an influence of the passage of the [[Civil Rights Act of 1964]] because she had communicated her experiences living under [[Jim Crow laws]] to Johnson, which were later shared by Johnson with other influential lawmakers.<ref name=":3" /><ref>((Cite web|last=Miller|first=Adrian|date=2017-09-19|title=Back of the White House|url=https://www.southernfoodways.org/53606-2/|access-date=2022-02-06|website=Southern Foodways Alliance|language=en-US))</ref>

== Early life and education ==
Wright grew up in [[Marshall, Texas]].<ref name=":3" /> She attended [[Wiley College]], where she studied [[Home economics|Home Economics]].<ref name=":3">((Cite web|last=Miller|first=Adrian|date=2017-06-12|title=100 Greatest Home Cooks of All Time: Zephyr Wright|url=https://www.epicurious.com/expert-advice/zephyr-wright-white-house-cook-article|access-date=2022-02-05|website=Epicurious|publisher=Condé Nast|language=en-US))</ref><ref name=":1">"Oral history transcript, Zephyr Wright, interview 1 (I), 12/5/1974, by Michael L. Gillette · Discover Production". discoverlbj.org. Retrieved 2020-03-01.</ref><ref name=":2">((Cite journal|last=Gail K.|first=Beil|date=July 2002|title=Four Marshallites' Roles in the Passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/30242135|journal=The Southwestern Historical Quarterly|publisher=Texas State Historical Association|volume=106|issue=1 |pages=1–29|jstor=30242135 ))</ref> At Wiley, Wright took classes from professor and activist [[Melvin B. Tolson]], who inspired her to become engaged with the [[civil rights movement]].<ref name=":1" /> 

In September 1942, after receiving a recommendation from Wiley College president Dr. Matthew Dogan, [[Lady Bird Johnson]] hired Wright as a cook for herself and then-representative [[Lyndon B. Johnson|Lyndon Johnson]].<ref name=":2" />

== Racial discrimination ==
Wright accompanied Mrs. Johnson and another newly hired staff member, John Hickey, on their drive to [[Washington, D.C.]] The three had difficulty finding restaurants and hotels throughout the trip since segregated establishments often refused to serve Wright and Hickey. Wright said about the journey in a 1974 interview that she was often asked to enter restaurants through the kitchen or eat outside, but always refused, stating: "I felt that if I wasn't wanted, I wouldn't go. I felt happier not going."<ref name=":1" />

When Wright moved with the president's family to [[Washington, D.C.]], several hotels in the [[Southern United States]] refused to let her stay because she was [[Black people|black]].<ref name="glamour1">((cite web|last=Chabbott |first=Sophia |url=http://www.glamour.com/inspired/blogs/the-conversation/2015/03/the-residence-book |title=The Residence: Meet the Women Behind Presidential Families Kennedy, Johnson, Carter |publisher=Glamour.com |date=2015-03-19 |access-date=2015-05-02))</ref><ref name=":5">((cite book|author1=White|first=Lee|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jyzIDZ6yFIcC&pg=PA139|title=Lyndon Johnson Remembered: An Intimate Portrait of a Presidency|publisher=Rowman & Littlefield|year=2003|isbn=978-0-7425-2798-0|editor-last=Cowger|editor-first=Thomas W.|location=Oxford, UK|pages=139–148|chapter=The Wind at His Back: LBJ, Zephyr Wright, and Civil Rights|editor-last2=Markman|editor-first2=Sherwin))</ref> When Lyndon Johnson was senator, Wright refused to drive to [[Austin, Texas]], with him, telling him: "When Sammy and I drive to Texas and I have to go to the bathroom, like Lady Bird or the girls, I am not allowed to go to the bathroom. I have to find a bush and squat. When it comes time to eat, we can't go into restaurants. We have to eat out of a brown bag. And at night, Sammy sleeps in the front of the car with the steering wheel around his neck, while I sleep in the back. We are not going to do it again."<ref name=":4">((cite web|url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=19085244 |title=Recipes from the President's Kitchen |publisher=NPR |date=2008-02-19 |access-date=2015-05-02))</ref>  

During Johnson's presidency, Wright credits many of the racially charged experiences she and her husband experienced to describe the Johnson families' energy towards improving the rights and experiences of Black Americans.<ref>&nbsp; Beil (2002). "Four Marshallites' Roles in the Passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964". ''Southwestern Historical Quarterly'', 106(1), 1–29.</ref> 

==Friendship with Johnson==
President Johnson often asked Wright's opinion of his legislative actions and appointments. Wright recalled one instance in 1967:

<blockquote>One day he came home, and he said, "Oh, do you see that I have appointed the first Negro to the Supreme Court?" I said, "Oh! Has it gone through?" And he said, "Well, no, but I'm sure it will. I've appointed him." That was referring to his appointment [[Thurgood Marshall|[Thurgood] Marshall]] to the [[Supreme Court of the United States|Supreme Court]].<ref name=":1" /> </blockquote>

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. In one instance, Wright recalls approaching Johnson about the difference in salary between herself and another White House chef, to which Johnson responded by increasing the salaries of both Zephyr and her husband. Wright frequently cooked for guests of Johnson, including Speaker of the House [[Sam Rayburn]]. She spoke of serving food to longtime anti-civil rights senator [[Richard Russell Jr.]] and noted that she did not view his company as at all unpleasant.<ref name=":1" />

Wright and Johnson maintained a friendly relationship and often conversed in a casual manner. Wright named several instances in which she and Johnson traded lighthearted words and poked fun at each other's sleep schedules.<ref name=":1" /> Wright was outspokenly supportive of Johnson's work on civil rights, stating that: "In talking with him I know he is for all of the Negro people, and he has done more for them than anyone else." Her time with the Johnsons concluded in 1969, at the end of Lyndon's presidential term.<ref name=":0">((Cite news|last=Wright-Ruiz|first=Kiera|date=2019-02-28|title=6 Black Chefs (and 1 Inventor) Who Changed the History of Food|language=en-US|newspaper=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/28/dining/black-chefs.html|access-date=2022-02-05|issn=0362-4331))</ref>

When Johnson became Vice President of the United States, he sought Wright's opinion on matters such as the [[March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom]].<ref name="glamour1" /> Wright's experiences with Jim Crow laws were used in conversations to build Congressional support of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.<ref name=":3" /><ref name=":5" /> She was later a witness to his signing of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and at the signing ceremony, he gave her the pen he had used to sign the act, saying: "You deserve this more than anyone else."<ref name="Shreve" />

== End of life, death and legacy ==
She had been briefly replaced in her role cooking for the Johnson family by French-born [[White House Executive Chef]] [[René Verdon]], who had also served the Kennedy family; however, by 1965 Johnson had disagreements with chef Verdon on creative differences and cost.<ref>((Cite web|last=Nucilli|first=Ryleigh|date=2018-11-29|title=When the President and His Chef Feuded Over Cold Beans|url=http://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/what-does-the-president-eat|access-date=2022-02-05|website=Atlas Obscura|language=en))</ref><ref>((Cite news|last=Brown|first=Emma|date=February 3, 2011|title=Rene Verdon, White House chef for the Kennedys, dies at 86|newspaper=Washington Post|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/02/03/AR2011020306146.html))</ref> Wright returned to cooking specifically for the Johnson family, and the role of White House Executive Chef was given to [[Henry Haller]]. Around 1966, Wright taught [[Luci Baines Johnson]] how to cook.<ref name=":7" />

After retiring from service in 1969, Wright continued to live in Washington, D.C.<ref name="Obit" /> She would receive [[fan mail]] for her work in the White House.<ref>((cite magazine|last=Granton|first=E. Fannie|date=1966-06-09|title=White House Cook Praised for Her Concern for the President|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6bkDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA46|magazine=Jet magazine|publisher=Johnson Publishing Company|pages=46–47))</ref> In December 1963, Lady Bird Johnson said in an interview with [[Time (magazine)|''Time'' magazine]]: "Zephyr is an expert at spoon bread, homemade ice cream and monumental Sunday breakfasts of deer sausage, home-cured bacon, popovers, grits, scrambled eggs, homemade peach preserves and coffee."<ref name=":6">((Cite web|last=Broyles|first=Addie|date=October 17, 2011|title=From the archives: Zephyr Wright's legacy lives on through famous LBJ chili recipe|url=https://www.austin360.com/story/entertainment/2016/10/12/from-the-archives-zephyr-wrights-legacy-lives-on-through-famous-lbj-chili-recipe/10212876007/|access-date=2022-02-06|website=Austin American-Statesman|language=en-US))</ref> Unfortunately, during her lifetime, Zephyr was not well credited for her impactful civil rights work and her contributions to the Civil Rights Act of 1964 as she was for her cooking.<ref name=":6" />  

She was married to Sammy Wright, a [[chauffeur]] for President Johnson and his family, who preceded her in death in 1969.<ref name="Obit" /><ref name=":4" /> Wright died of a heart condition on April 25, 1988, in Washington, D.C.<ref name="Obit" /> 

Many of her recipes live on, including her "Pedernales River chili", published in the book ''Eating With Uncle Sam'' (2011; [[National Archives Foundation]]);<ref name=":6" /> and "Shrimp Curry A La Zephyr Wright", published by [[NPR]] (2008).<ref name=":4" />  In 2016, the [[The Kitchen Sisters|Kitchen Sisters]] podcast on [[NPR|National Public Radio]] featured Wright in episode 44.<ref>"Black Chef, White House: African American Cooks in the President's Kitchen," episode 44 of the ''[[Kitchen Sisters]]'' podcast, a production of [[Radiotopia]] on [[PRX (radio)|PRX]].((cite web|date=2016-04-12|title=Black Chef, White House: African American Cooks in the President's Kitchen|url=http://www.kitchensisters.org/fugitivewaves/black-chef-white-house-african-american-cooks-in-the-presidents-kitchen/|access-date=2020-01-03|publisher=The Kitchen Sisters))</ref> Wright was named by ''[[The New York Times]]'' in 2019 as one of the "6 Black Chefs Who Changed the History of Food".<ref name=":0" />

Wright was portrayed in a 2023 episode of the Max series ''[[Julia (2022 TV series)|Julia]]'' by actress Deidrie Henry. The episode depicted Wright's service to, and relationship with, the Johnson family. <ref>https://www.indiewire.com/features/interviews/zephyr-wright-julia-season-2-episode-7-1234934885/</ref>

==References==
((Reflist))

==Further reading==
*((cite book |first=Adrian |last=Miller |title=The President's Kitchen Cabinet: The Story of the African Americans Who Have Fed Our First Families, from the Washingtons to the Obamas |year=2017 |publisher=University of North Carolina Press |location=Chapel Hill |isbn=978-1-4696-3253-7 |url=https://www.uncpress.org/book/9781469632537/the-presidents-kitchen-cabinet/ ))

==External links==
*[https://discoverlbj.org/item/oh-wrightz-19741205-1-81-1 Interview with Wright done in 1974]
*((cite web |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6bkDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA46 |title=White House Cook Praised for Her Concern for the President |first=E. Fannie |last=Granton |date=June 9, 1966 |work=[[Jet (magazine)|Jet]] ))

((White House Executive Chef))
((Authority control))

((DEFAULTSORT:Wright, Zephyr))
[[Category:Date of birth unknown]]
[[Category:1915 births]]
[[Category:1988 deaths]]
[[Category:20th-century African-American women]]
[[Category:Activists for African-American civil rights]]
[[Category:African-American people]]
[[Category:American chefs]]
[[Category:African-American women in politics]]
[[Category:Lyndon B. Johnson]]
[[Category:People from Marshall, Texas]]
[[Category:White House staff]]
[[Category:Chefs from Washington, D.C.]]

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