President Taft and The First Family's Cows by Alexandra

President Taft and The First Family's Cows by Alexandra - October 2017 Scholarship Essay

William Howard Taft was the twenty-seventh president of the United States of America and the president I would choose to have dinner with. President Taft is not as well known for his achievements in office as George Washington or Abraham Lincoln, but that makes his stories much more valuable. However, while dining over our stereotypical turkey dinner, I would not discuss the Payne-Aldrich Tariff Act nor the “break up” between Taft and Theodore Roosevelt. I would actually converse about one of my favorite animals, and two residents of the White House at the time; the First Family's two cows.
President Taft, on record, was known to have had two cows while in office. The first cow was named Mooley Wooly. Once she stopped producing enough milk roughly a year later, Mooley was replaced by a Holstein named Pauline Wayne.
I live on a dairy farm in Maine and can relate to the importance and convenience of raising a cow. I can also understand that the relationship between man and cow does not always have to be producer and consumer, but can resemble the bond of man and dog as “best friends.” Some of the cows on my farm are considered family members as they’ve snuck their way into the hearts of my family and friends: Wes, Buttercup, Legolas, Zelda, and Peppermint Patty.
During our dinner, I would like to ask President Taft about the relationships he had with his cows. Were Mooley and Pauline used for milk only, or were they more like pets? I would ask how he came up with their names, and the names of any cows he had prior to his presidency. If Pauline was a Holstein cow, what breed was Mooley? What breed of cow was President Taft's favorite? How did he raise the cattle? There are many questions solely concerning Mooley Wooly and Paulin Wayne that I have that would take until dessert to answer!
I would also question President Taft's opinion on show horse jumping, which became an Olympic event in 1912, three years into Taft's first term. I would ask him what he would think if someone were to enter a cow into such a competition. Would it be possible? Would said jockey have President Taft’s support? Would President Taft go a step further and attempt to aid the integration of cows into show horse jumping competitions?
President William Taft's historical achievements will forever be remembered and questioned by U.S. students and historians, but while everyone questions the significance of each executive decision, I ponder the agriculturally and personally important questions.