William Elder died suddenly of heart failure April 17, 2014, at Northwest Hospital in Randallstown, Md.
Born in Baltimore, he graduated from The Hill School. At Princeton, he majored in art history, was a member of Charter Club, and was active in the Print Club. He subsequently studied at the University of Pennsylvania and was an art history instructor there. He left that position in 1961 to become the registrar at the White House.
During the Kennedy administration, he was appointed curator of the White House and worked closely with Jacqueline Kennedy and the president, adding furniture and paintings to the permanent collection there. His career also included three decades at the Baltimore Museum of Art, where he served as curator of decorative arts. He also was considered an authority on Early American furniture.
William never married. He is survived by his brother, Thomas; a nephew; three nieces; and six great-nieces and nephews. The class extends sympathy to them in their loss.