President Taft and His Peculiar Pets
Luckily, the White House has a big lawn
William Howard Taft is known for many things — being the 27th President of the United States, becoming the 10th Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, his love of baseball, and his large stature. However, a lesser known fun fact about President Taft’s time in office is that he was joined not only by his wife, Helen, and his youngest son, Charles, but also by a rather large herbivore.
A New Family Member
When the Tafts came to Washington in 1909, William had many hot-button topics to address, but so too did his wife, Helen. Allegedly, since she knew there were no dairy farms in the vicinity, Helen was concerned about where the First Family would get the necessary butter and milk for meals. Naturally, the solution to this problem was to purchase and bring a Jersey cow to the White House to ensure the family needs were appropriately managed.
Mooly Wooly, as the family named their award-winning beast, was delivered to DC and seen grazing by June of 1909. Washingtonians had a new site to see. While strolling on Pennsylvania Avenue, citizens of the capital could view the prized Mooly Wooly snacking on the South Lawn. Mooly Wooly even managed to tag along for the Taft’s summer vacation to Beverly, Massachusetts, providing a show for the coastal New England natives.
Unfortunately, Mooly Wooly’s time at the executive mansion was rather short lived. She died in 1910, some say from an oats overload. Mooly Wooly supposedly was allowed to graze all day, and then she was fed again at night in the stables. Regardless of the mechanism, the famed presidential pet was gone.
The New Cow on the Block
The White House lawn did not stay empty for long, though. Word of Mooly Wooly’s death reached the rest of the country quickly, and Wisconsin Senator Isaac Stevenson offered the First Family a new cow as a replacement — four-year-old Holstein named Pauline Wayne. Unknown to Stevenson, Pauline was pregnant at the time of her passage to Washington in the fall of 1910 and soon gave birth to a calf, aptly named Big Bill after the president. Big Bill’s time in DC was brief, however, as he was relocated to a farm in Maryland soon after his birth.
Pauline was a crucial member of the Taft family from the time she arrived. She supplied ample buckets of milk and products that Helen and the rest of the household put to good use. Pauline was such a fan favorite that she was even sent by Taft the International Dairymen’s Exposition in Milwaukee in 1911.
The Missing Bovine
Pauline was loaded up onto a private train car attached to a slew of other cars on route to Milwaukee. Somehow, Pauline’s car got mixed up in a Chicago stockyard along the way, and the Tafts’ pet was almost sent to the slaughterhouse. Several newspapers reported that Pauline narrowly escaped death in that fall of 1911. Nonetheless, despite her setback Pauline managed to arrive in Milwaukee unharmed and once again became a hit sensation. Souvenir bottles of her milk could even be purchased for 50 cents a piece.
End of an Era
Once returning to Washington, Pauline returned to her star status among the DC natives for the remainder of Taft’s time in office. Between 1910 and 1912, dozens of media stories referenced her in their pieces — and for good reason. Pauline remains the last cow to be at the White House. Throughout her time in the capital, the Holstein was offered multiple red carpet appearances at various expositions and even a spot in a traveling production of Way Down East.
Unfortunately, Pauline’s health declined during her time with the Tafts’. With the Taft family leaving the White House following Woodrow Wilson’s ascent into presidency, it was decided that Pauline should return home to Wisconsin. Isaac Stevenson, Pauline’s original owner, offered to take her back and incorporate her into the herd.
Conclusion
President Taft’s family pets were certainly unique — minus their dog Caruso. It’s safe to say that Mooly Wooly and Pauline Wayne fall in the ranks with Jackson’s parrot and John Quincy Adams’ alligator as some of the most interesting animals to grace the capital city. Whether or not another cow grazes on the South Lawn of the White House or not, the Tafts’ cows will hold a special place in American history.
Grant Fuerstenau is a Medical Student at the University of Louisville School of Medicine and the editor of The Biographical Historian.
References
Kelly, K. (2022, May 10). President Taft’s Cow. America Comes Alive. Retrieved November 5, 2022.
Presidential Pet Museum. (2016, November 17). President Taft’s cow, Pauline Wayne. Presidential Pet Museum. Retrieved November 5, 2022.
William Taft’s Mooly Wooly. Presidential Pet Museum. (n.d.). Retrieved November 5, 2022.
