Howell Gardner Crim (October 2, 1898 – May 11, 1959) was an American civil servant best known for being the Chief Usher of the White House in Washington, D.C., from 1938 to 1957.

[2] His maternal grandmother was Margaret "Maggie" (née Grice) Hoffmaster, who, as a child, famously hid in a cave with her family while the Battle of Antietam raged around them on September 17, 1862.

His maternal grandfather, Benjamin Franklin Hoffmaster, was one of the first rural mail carriers in Washington County, Maryland.

[4] The Hagerstown Daily Mail, Crim's hometown newspaper, reported that he left the United States in his late teens and traveled and worked abroad for some years until joining the United States Navy during World War I.

[6][7] While working there during the Calvin Coolidge administration, he was asked to join the White House staff.

But unlike Hoover, who spent 24 years as Chief Usher, Muir's tenure in the position was not a long one.