In 1909, long before pasteurized milk was standard in Washington, D.C., First Lady Helen “Nellie” Taft entered the White House with a personal goal. There were few dairies near the center of D.C, and she wanted fresh, safe milk and butter for President William Howard Taft and their 11-year-old son, Charles. For this reason, she arranged for the purchase of Mooly Wooly—a prize-winning Jersey cow.
Mooly Wooly was given grazing privileges on the White House South Lawn. This intrigued passersby. Dubbed the “First Cow of the Land,” Mooly Wooly transformed 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue into a mini dairy farm and became one of the most famous presidential pets in American history.
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Livestock Part of the White House Life
Mooly Wooly’s new home was the White House stables, located near the State, War, and Navy Building (now the Eisenhower Executive Office Building). While the stables were always packed with horses and carriages—as was custom for every preceding administration—it had been quite some time since a presidential cow occupied a stall.
Even as William Howard Taft made history as the first president to bring automobiles to the White House, horses remained in daily use, making Mooly Wooly a unique addition to an already bustling executive barn.
Cow Spotted by Public
In June of 1909, The Buffalo Enquirer reported there was national astonishment and some ridicule when passersby began noticing the cow grazing peacefully on the White House lawn. According to the Buffalo newspaper: “Thomas Jefferson used to keep blooded cows on the White House lawn because he could not abide any milk except that which came from his own stock. Lincoln kept several cows, but until Mrs. Taft purchased a blue-ribbon Jersey, a cow had not been seen near the White House in forty-five years.”
Mooly Wooly was often photographed in front of the Executive Mansion, “calmly cropping the grass of the White House lawn.” (Hutchinson Gazette, Hutchinson, Kansas.)
And The Des Moines Register wrote: “Mr. Taft’s cow brings the White House into an intimate touch with pastoral America—the America which makes it possible to build a White House and give it a tenant who can be both a president and a man.”
Other Concerns
But the cow soon became the least of the Tafts concerns. Nellie Taft suffered a stroke in the spring of 1909, shortly after the president took office.
The doctor recommended a trip to a warm climate to recover, but she refused to leave her husband. Nellie was from a large family. Within days of her taking ill, four of her sisters arrived from Cincinnati to help with Nellie’s care and fill in as needed with First Lady responsibilities.
President Taft was as attentive as he could be given the demands of his office.
Reason to Celebrate
In just under a year from when they entered the White House, Nellie Taft was able to resume her primary responsibilities. She helped plan a celebration of their 25th wedding anniversary, and she successfully reached her goal of being well enough to enjoy the full evening.
Cow Summered with Family
Customarily, first families packed up to spend the hot summer months away from hot and muggy Washington, D.C.
The Tafts chose to vacation in Beverly, Massachusetts. That first summer, Mooly Wooly traveled with them to Massachusetts, along with other members of the White House.
Beverly citizens admired the fact that the Taft family maintained a tie to the rural life: “The good people of Beverly look on the Taft cow and are glad they have a president who has not forgotten in his public service the good qualities of country life.
“A man who keeps his own cow is, after all, a good deal of a democrat even if he does associate at times with bejeweled diplomats and pursy [probably meaning monied] magnates.” (Spokesman Review, Spokane, WA July 30, 1909.)
Mooly Wooly Dies
About a year and a half after Taft took office, Mooly Wooly died. It seems that the cow was permitted to graze on the White House grass at her leisure. When she was brought in at night, she was fed again.
Speculation is that she just ate too much.
Gift Cow Offered
When word got out that Mooly Wooly passed away, Wisconsin Senator Isaac Stevenson volunteered to send a prize Holstein from his farm. Arrangements were made for the four-year-old Holstein, named Pauline Wayne, to travel to Washington, D.C. by train. Her trip was delayed somewhat, but once she arrived, there were plenty of people on hand at Union Station to escort her to the White House.
But Senator Stevenson might have selected another cow if he had checked in with Pauline Wayne before choosing her. She was pregnant at the time of her trip. Shortly after arriving at her new home, she gave birth to a calf. The staff named the newborn Big Bill in honor of the president. After a few days, he was cleaned up and sent off to a farm in Maryland to be raised by a surrogate.
Pauline, however, contentedly fulfilled her responsibilities. She continued to provide the first family with an ample supply of milk and butter on a regular basis.
Representing the President
While Pauline was well-loved for her fresh milk, cream, and butter, she also proved to be a popular emissary for the president. In 1911, President Taft was not going to be able to attend the International Dairymen’s Exposition in Milwaukee, so Pauline was sent to represent him.
You’d like to think that a trip involving a presidential cow was carefully planned. Perhaps it was and something just went wrong along the way… Whatever, Pauline’s rail car—along with Pauline—were reported missing.
Anxiety was high for two days. The national press kept the public informed about the fact that the “President’s Cow” was nowhere to be found.
The railroad management took a close look at the route the cow should have taken. As they worked their way backward, they found the error. Pauline’s car had been switched on to a train on its way to the Chicago stockyards.
Pauline Rescued
Fortunately, Pauline was discovered before she entered the slaughterhouse.
Once saved, Pauline Wayne made the President proud. She was a very popular attraction at the Dairymen’s Exposition, and visitors could buy tiny souvenir bottles of her milk for 50 cents.
She went on to make appearances at a few other dairy and food shows. The Topeka Daily Capital (October 26, 1911) reported that she returned home with a “satchelful” of medals and blue ribbons.
Returning Home
The White House issued daily reports after Pauline’s return—she seemed unsettled by all the travel. While her milk production remained good, she was unwilling to leave her stable for a few days.
When President Taft left office, Pauline Wayne did not seem to be doing well. Taft consulted Senator Stevenson, and it was agreed that the best thing for Pauline was to return to the beautiful green state of Wisconsin. It was reported that her health improved once she was back on her farm.
When the next president, Woodrow Wilson, moved to Washington, he saw no need of a cow. However, he understood the wisdom of having sheep keep the White House lawn trimmed.
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Taft weighed a hefty 340 pounds during his time in office, and he counted on three sturdy meals per day. (There were newspaper photos of four workers sitting in the larger bathtub they installed after Taft got stuck in the old one.) To read about President’s Taft’s efforts at dieting, read “President Taft’s Weight: Keeping the Pounds Off.”
To read about other popular bovines, read about Else, the Borden Cow, and her husband whose head adorns Elmer’s glue.
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A: While living in the Philippines during her husband’s tenure as Governor-General, Helen “Nellie” Taft faced local health risks that forced her to bring in live cows to secure a clean, safe milk supply. Remembering the health benefits and necessity of having fresh, unpasteurized dairy readily available for her children, she insisted on keeping a family cow on the South Lawn when they moved into the White House.
A: The Tafts’ first White House cow, Mooly Wooly, unexpectedly died in 1910 after eating too many oats. To replace her, Wisconsin Senator Isaac Stephenson gifted First Lady Helen Taft a purebred, four-year-old Holstein named Pauline Wayne, who successfully supplied the First Family with up to eight gallons of milk per day.
A: Pauline Wayne holds the distinction of being the last presidential cow to live and graze on the White House grounds. She became a national media sensation during William Howard Taft’s presidency, even making headlines in 1911 when her private train car was accidentally misrouted to the Chicago stockyards en route to a dairy exposition before officials rescued her.
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