Visitors to President George Washington’s home Mt Vernon today see Milking Devons grazing in the fields. During his lifetime, however, Washington began to raise Shorthorns, thanks to a gift from an admirer. The enthusiast was Baltimore businessman Harry Gough of Perry Hall, who imported the first Shorthorns (or “Teeswater cattle” as they were known) into the United States in 1785. He stated in a self-congratulatory article in the Federal Gazette and Baltimore Daily Advertiser of 10 May 1798: “In the year 1785, I imported from England three cows and a bull of the best kind then to be procured. The cows were all in calf when exported and calved after they arrived in this country. About three years later a friend in England sent me another cow, with which I was like fortunate.” His neighbor Richard Parkinson, who leased nearby Orange Hill Plantation, added in his A Tour in America, in 1798. 1799, and 1800: “Gough, at Perry Hall . . . has procured some imported cattle from near York, in England, something of the Teeswater kind.”
As members of the colonial aristocracy, Harry Gough and George Washington moved in similar circles and Washington’s stepson John Custis had played truant from school in order to attend Gough’s wedding to Prudence Carnan in 1770. Both men also understood the value of money and neither could be described as extravagant. Late in 1785, Washington asked his old comrade-in-arms Tench Tilghman to inquire of Harry Gough about an interior fabricator named Mr. Rawlins who had given an estimate for some work to be done in Washington’s home at Mt. Vernon, the cost of which the general thought was too high. In his reply dated 30 December 1785, Tilghman stated that he had several interviews with Gough who assured him that the price quoted to Washington was better than the one quoted to him. Washington’s response of 7 January 1786, suggests that he thought Gough had been cheated.
Gough and Washington also shared an interest in agricultural improvement. Washington had long been a proponent of agricultural progress and looked for new strains of livestock to improve his flocks and herds. He corresponded with agricultural pioneer Robert Bakewell, famous for his “Dishley” sheep (now known as Improved Leicester’s) and Longhorn cattle as well as the agricultural writer Arthur Young. We have some idea of Gough’s cattle from paintings. Wealthy individuals commissioned landscapes of their property and this included animals. A famous painting is in the collection of the Winterthur Museum and it shows Gough with his family as well as cattle and sheep (acc. no. 1957.0670A). In another painting, shown below, “Federal Home with Figures & Cattle in Landscape,” probably by Frances Guy who painted other scenes for Gough, the cow herd is grazing by the banks of the Gunpowder River. The mixed nature of the animals is evident from the variety of colors, but several cows definitely have characteristics of Shorthorns. The date of the painting is unknown, but probably about 1800, several years after Gough and Washington’s correspondence.
“Federal Home with Figures & Cattle in Landscape” —picturing Harry Gough’s estate
As the end of Washington’s second term as president was approaching, he became concerned about the state of his farms. Acknowledging that he had ignored them for the eight years of his presidency, he wanted to restore his herds and flocks, as noted in a letter to Gough of 23 August 1797: “My stock of all sorts has been much neglected during my eight year (sic) residence from home, and will take more time than in the usual course of nature will be allowed me, to improve them much . . .” He was correct to be worried because he was much less well-off than many of his contemporaries. The modern myth that Washington was one of the wealthiest presidents ignores the fact that while much of what had been his property is valuable today, during his lifetime it was almost worthless. His land speculation tract of 35,000 acres in what is now Western Pennsylvania and West Virginia was inhabited by penniless veterans who refused to leave and who he had to support by building a grist mill. At the time of his death, George Washington was making plans for a distillery in order to market his grain.
Even though they were not President Washington’s greatest interest, cattle were one aspect of his enterprises that he wanted to improve. Washington had more than 300 head of cattle (cows, bulls, steers, and oxen) across his farms, which was a large number for the time; of these about 100 were brood cows. Nonetheless, his cattle were doing poorly and he noted that despite having a large number of cows, he had to buy butter for his family. More worrisome was the low fertility rate and only about 30 calves a year were born, which he blamed on aged and weak bulls. On 8 January 1797 in the last months of his second presidential term, he wrote to his estate manager James Anderson: “A Mr. Gough near Baltimore has the imported breed and sells them high; the bulls especially; but I should not stand so much upon the price, provided the breed’s to be depended upon”. A second letter on the 29th of that month to Anderson returned to the topic of Gough’s cattle: “By next post I will myself write to Mr. Gough to let me know whether he can spare me some of his best breed of Horned Cattle and on what terms”.
Washington was encouraged in his attentions to Gough’s Teeswater cattle by his former aide de camp John Eager Howard who wrote to him in April of that year: “Some of our farmers have greatly improved their breed of cattle by purchasing bull calves of [Gough], and we have young farmers who are eager to purchase, many of them before they have the means of taking proper care of them, however there is such a demand for his cattle that he can always get his price for them.” Howard’s comments, it should be noted, were not disinterested; he was a friend of Gough’s and the two men had marched together in Baltimore’s Constitution celebration parade of 1788.
The negotiations to purchase a calf from Gough were not successful. Washington confided to his friend and Maryland lawyer Gustavus Scott in a letter of June 19: “[I] had enquiry made of Mr. Gough of any young bulls of his English breed for sale. The result was that he had only one (except calves) of about 8 months old for which he asked $200. Thinking this high for one so young, I authorized another purchase”.
Gough was aware of the prestige connected with Washington and apparently reconsidered the matter. Two months later, he gave a bull calf to the former president who, in a letter of August 23rd, thanked him for an animal from his improved breed. This was not the final transaction and later Gough would sell to Washington a Longhorn bull calf. Washington died a year and a half later, before much could be achieved. In the inventories and notes on the dispersal of his cattle after Washington’s death there is the identification of individuals by color, but which of those were descended from Gough’s bull is not clear.
As this footnote to cattle history shows, livestock improvement was not a seamless exercise in progress. False starts and regressions were all parts of the day to day reality of production. As the dealings of Harry Gough and George Washington reveal, however, progress was made and Shorthorns were a part of the story.
Author Profile: Dr. Benjamin Hudson
Benjamin Hudson is professor of history at the Pennsylvania State University, where he specializes in British history. He is a member of the Maryland Shorthorn Association as well as the Heritage Shorthorn Society. Coming from a family associated with Polled Shorthorns since the First World War, he showed Shorthorns in 4H and FFA. His grandfather B.C. “Brownie” Hudson’s Highland Polled Shorthorns showed throughout the Midwest while his father John Hudson judged Polled Shorthorns at the International Livestock Expo, the National Polled Shorthorn show, and the San Antonio Expo as well as numerous state fairs and regional shows.