That’s how long the Townes family has been lending its expertise to the governor and governor’s family in Virginia’s Executive Mansion.
“The Townes family is woven into the very fabric of the Executive Mansion’s history,” says Virginia’s First Lady Suzanne Youngkin. Tutti Townes, along with his son Martin and daughter Cherry, carry forward a legacy of warmth, dedication, and service that began with Tutti’s brother Theodore ‘Tony’ Townes and his mother Doris Townes Fleming.
Tutti, who serves as head butler, “has a lifetime of service,” and Martin, deputy butler and honorary historian of the Mansion, “is a third-generation legacy,” adds Georgia Esposito, director of the Executive Mansion.
The head and deputy butlers – which includes Dwan Anthony, whose family also has a longstanding history at the Mansion – serve as the face of the Mansion to welcome visitors, greeting everyone from diplomats to celebrities.
In that role, they have to know the ins and outs of diplomacy, what to say, and what to do in all types of situations.
“You have to read the room,” Martin says. “The big key to it is anticipation. Sometimes you have to know what they want before they know what they want.”
“We are the front line,” adds Tutti.
A Lineage of Service
Tutti, whose given name is Martin, started at the Mansion in 1983 during Governor Chuck Robb’s administration and has worked for 11 governors during his career. “When I first started, I came in at night and cleaned shoes and the silver,” he says, noting that he met his current wife at work. “I moved to head butler during Governor Gerald Baliles’s administration.”
As head butler, Tutti is in charge of running all functions, including dinner parties, receptions, and the like. He oversees the two deputy butlers, housekeeping, and the waitstaff that come in for parties. He also maintains strong working relationships with the chef and kitchen staff.
“Butlers are the middle management of the Mansion,” says Martin, who was hired five years ago by former First Lady Pam Northam.
Northam appreciated Martin’s military service along with his degree in anthropology from VCU. “He is so smart. He is the consummate gentleman,” Mrs. Northam says, adding that hospitality is an art. “[The Townes family] is so fantastic. They have an amazing legacy. They are ready and up for anything.”
Martin remembers visiting the Mansion as a child to see his father and grandmother at work. “It’s definitely a building I was familiar with,” he says, noting that now his own children – his 8-year-old son and 6-year-old daughter – come to visit as well.
The Mansion is like a second home to Martin and Tutti, who understandably enjoy working with each other. “It’s cool working with my dad. Even though he’s my boss, he’s still my dad . . . it’s the same dynamics,” Martin says.
“Tutti Townes is a legend – not just because of his long-standing service, but because of the way he carries himself with professionalism, humility, and a genuine respect for the stature of the home,” says Mrs. Youngkin. “He sets a high standard, and Martin and Cherry are carrying on that legacy beautifully. Their greatest strength is an ability to honor the past while embracing the present, ensuring that the Mansion remains a place of history, hospitality, and heart.”
Both Tutti and Martin are the keepers of stories and the guardians of history at the circa 1813 Mansion, both a Virginia and a National Historic Landmark. The stories that are shared often shed light on the executive residence as well as human nature.
One of the stories that exists involves the ghost of either a young woman or a little girl (there are conflicting views on her age). As the legend goes, a young woman over a century ago attended an event at the Mansion, and when she left, her coach had an accident in which she was injured. She was brought to the Mansion where she later died.
Tutti leans toward it being a little girl based on his firsthand account of seeing a little girl coming down the stairs. He thought the girl was a guest at the Mansion, but there were no guests that day. “They told me about her but said you probably won’t see her,” Tutti says of the apparition. “They say she comes out for people that she likes.”
Over the years, Tutti has worked for nine governors with school-age children. “It’s almost like you are part of the family. You have to look after them like you would look after the governor,” he says, noting the kids he oversaw still keep in touch with him.
Life with children at the Mansion can bring about the unexpected – like the night Tutti was asked to come back to the Mansion because one of the children had gotten caught in the dumbwaiter, and no one knew how to work the dumbwaiter to get the child out.
“I like the fact that every day is different,” Tutti says.
Celebrities, Dignitaries, and Queens, Oh My!
Working at the Mansion can have perks that go beyond the norm as well. Tutti and Martin have had the opportunity to meet a number of celebrities and dignitaries, everyone from director Steven Spielberg, actor Charlton Heston, and singer Garth Brooks to former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Margaret Thatcher, former President George H.W. Bush, and former President and First Lady Barack and Michelle Obama.
Meeting celebrities is a “fun part of the job,” says Tutti. He admits he was starstruck by Queen Elizabeth II when she visited. “She was really nice, very friendly,” says Tutti, who talked with the Queen. “She was great.”
Tutti and Martin have found slightly different paths when it comes to their jobs. Tutti is more of a traditionalist while Martin loves to combine history with modern day.
“Martin is always curious about history, and he has become well versed on the history of the house and Capitol Square,” says Esposito. “He serves as historian of the Mansion, an honorary title in recognition of his ability to interpret the history in a way that is fresh. His depth of knowledge is incredible. Having Martin here has brought more energy to the house.”
Martin enjoys talking with visitors about some of the Mansion’s most unique items like the small, round table that belonged to Patrick Henry, Virginia’s first governor, or the USS Virginia Silver Service that was given to the USS Virginia by the Commonwealth in 1906. When the ship was decommissioned in 1920, the silver service was put into storage by the Navy. It sat there until Governor James Lindsay Almond and his wife Josephine Katherine Almond fought for its return to Virginia. “She was quite tenacious and determined to get the silver for Virginia,” says Esposito of Mrs. Almond.
Martin’s historical overviews sometimes include stories about the Steinway piano purchased by Governor Harry Byrd in 1925 after a Christmas fire destroyed the piano during Governor E. Lee Trinkle’s term. “It’s still played for every party we have,” says Esposito.
There are also newer additions to the Executive Mansion like The Art Experience, which was designed in collaboration with artists, museums, and curators throughout the Commonwealth. “The Art Experience has enriched the experience of anyone who comes to the Governor’s Mansion,” says Esposito. “It’s reflective of a more modern Virginia and the different people who live here.”
Martin relishes being in this type of historical setting every day. “In some roundabout way this job is somewhat allowing me to be a museum curator – something I’ve wanted to do,” Martin says, adding the Executive Mansion compound that he covers includes the Carriage House and the Cottage, which contains the historic kitchen and laundry room along with living quarters that would have housed the Jackson and Valentine families whose stories are memorialized in the Valentine-Jackson Memorial Garden.
Last year, Governor Glenn Youngkin appointed Martin to the Virginia Board of Historic Resources for a four-year appointment. As a member of that board, Martin helps approve historic markers and historic landmark preservation easements.
A Change Every Four Years
During the half century that the Townes family has worked at the Mansion, they have worked for Democratic and Republican governors, and as employees, they remain nonpartisan. “We put politics aside,” Martin says.
Transitions in administration can be stressful. Not because of the politics, but because “you have to learn your boss,” says Martin. “You have to get to know them sufficiently enough. It takes about a month to get to know their rhythm and their wants and needs.”
Tutti worked at the Mansion during a historic transition when Governor Douglas Wilder, Virginia’s first Black governor, took office. This year they could have another historical moment if a woman wins the election to become the next governor of Virginia. “If one of the ladies wins the election, it will be a first,” says Martin.
With every change in administration, the Townes family holds steady, concentrating on what they do best. “There’s a special kind of magic that the Townes family brings to the Executive Mansion,” says Mrs. Youngkin. “It is not lost on us that today more guests visit the Executive Mansion to meet Martin, who has a prolific online following, is a dapper dresser, and is a respected historian. And last year when we invited all former governors and first ladies to a dinner at the Mansion, Tutti was certainly the one who they came to see.”
The family’s ability to “anticipate needs, offer warmth, and uphold tradition is something truly special,” Mrs. Youngkin adds. “The Executive Mansion has seen many seasons and changes, but through it all, the Townes family remains an essential and a constant. They are part of the heartbeat of this historic home.”
