Though two Irish setters lived in the White House (one briefly with the Truman family, and another later with the Nixons), the most loved Irish setter who belonged to an elected official may have been Garryowen (known as Garry II), who belonged to Percival Proctor Baxter (1876-1969), governor of Maine from 1921-25.
Percival Baxter was born into a wealthy family that had made money in the canning industry, and he devoted himself to many forward-looking causes. While governor, he appointed women to public office. He was also passionately devoted to preserving nature for the enjoyment of the people. Over time, he amassed over 200,000 acres of forest land, including the woods surrounding Mount Katahdin, Maine’s highest peak; he deeded the land to the state in perpetuity. Baxter specified that it be maintained as a public park and left in its wild state as a “sanctuary for wild beasts and birds.” The park is named in his honor.
Baxter in Political Office
In 1909 Baxter was elected to the state senate, and in 1921 he was President pro-tempore when the sitting governor died. Baxter filled the remainder of the term and was then elected to one term in his own right.
Garry II belonged to Baxter at the time he became governor, and the governor and his dog were frequently seen walking near the State House. Children would wait along the route that Baxter often took, hoping to have the opportunity to pet Garry or shake his paw.
So deep was Baxter’s love for his dogs, he documented his pets in a privately published book, “My Irish Setters.” (Digitized online at http://www.archive.org/details/myirishsetterdog00baxt.) Baxter writes of Garry, age 9 at the writing:“Garry is my constant companion in the Governor’s House and in my office at the State Capitol. He goes back and forth with me between Portland and Augusta both by train and automobile, and understands the duties of the Governor’s Office as well as could be expected of any dog.”
Very Important Dog
Garry had a couch within the governor’s office that was specifically for him. (Brian Schweitzer, current governor of Montana, also takes his dog everywhere with him–including to Iraq for a visit with Montanans serving in the military.)
Baxter belonged to several humane societies across the country, one of which, the New England Ant-Vivisection Society (an organization dedicated to ending scientific testing on live animals), called him America’s “greatest humane governor.”
When Garry Died
Garry II died while the governor was in office. Baxter was devastated and ordered the flag at the State House lowered to half staff. This angered many veterans’ groups who thought the order was disrespectful to the military. The news of the flag-lowering made headlines around the world.
Much later, in 2001, workers restoring a 1924 monument came upon information that shed light on Baxter’s controversial decision. In 1924 Governor Baxter had participated in the dedication ceremony following the completion of a memorial honoring the Maine sailors and soldiers who fought in World War I. Baxter made his remarks and then he was to place into the floor of the memorial a metal box with a list of the men who died in the war, a brief history of the memorial’s development, and a photograph of the sculptor.
Time Capsule
During the restoration, the workers uncovered the box, and when it was given to state officials, they were surprised to find the documents they expected but also a sealed envelope that specified that is should be opened only after Baxter’s death.
The report of this discovery was noted in The Sunday Telegraph (6-17-2001). The letter was given to the sitting governor, Angus King, who arranged to read the eight-page missive in the presence of Baxter’s descendants. In the letter, Baxter railed against war and explained why he never married (his beloved turned him down), and he wrote about the “shocking neglect and cruelty” shown toward animals in Maine, and spoke of his own desire “to be kind to every living creature.”
He also commented on his decision to lower the flag at the State House after his dog died:
“Good old Garry II was the first dog in history to be thus honored,” Baxter writes. “His spirit lives on and through him, dumb animals the world over will be treated more kindly and mercifully.”
Pingback: William Randolph Hearst’s Dachshund « America Comes Alive