Old Whitey (horse)
{{Short description|Zachary Taylor's Warhorse}}
{{Distinguish||text=the horse owned by Rutherford B. Hayes also named Old Whitey in the army or SS Kamloops where a person named Old Whitey was found}}
File:Gen Zachary Taylor mounted on his horse engraving.jpg
Old Whitey was a horse that belonged to Zachary Taylor, the 12th president of the United States. The horse was purchased by George McCall.{{Cite web |date=January 6, 2014 |title=Old Whitey, Zachary Taylor's Horse |url=https://www.presidentialpetmuseum.com/pets/old-whitey-zachary-taylor/ |website=Presidentialpetmusuem.com}}
Mexican–American War
Old Whitey was Taylor's war horse, during the Mexican–American War. He was the antithesis of a war horse, due to his light coloration. Taylor used him anyway and he was just as Taylor wanted.{{Cite web |last=Kelly |first=Kate |date=July 17, 2024 |title=Zachary Taylor's White House Pet-a Horse |url=https://www.americacomesalive.com/zachary-taylors-white-house-pet-a-horse/#h-how-taylor-acquired-whitey}} Taylor was known to sit calmly on Old Whitey as bullets went past his head.{{Cite web |last=Holt |first=Michael |date=July 17, 2024 |title=Zachary Taylor: Life Before the Presidency |url=https://www.millercenter.org/president/taylor/life-before-the-presidency |website=Miller Center}}
White House years
Old Whitey would often be seen grazing on the White House lawn.{{Cite web |last=Jones |first=Terry L. |title=Pastimes: Zachary Taylor |date=23 June 2020 |url=https://www.countryroadsmagazine.com/art-and-culture/history/pasttimes-zachary-taylor/}}{{Cite web |title=Zachary Taylor {{!}} American Presidents |url=https://www.c-span.org/presidents/?president=12 |website=C-span.org}} Old Whitey's tail was picked and plucked by visitors as a souvenir and for a memory.{{Cite web |date=July 19, 2024 |title=Presidents on Horseback - White House Historical Association |url=https://www.whitehousehistory.org/presidents-on-horseback}} This happened until his full tail was picked clean.{{Cite book |last=Moberg |first=Julia |title=Presidential Pets The Weird, Wacky, Little, Big, Scary, Strange Animals That Have Lived in the White House |year=2012 |publisher=Charlesbridge |isbn=978-1-62354-086-9 |location=}}
Later years
After Taylor died Old Whitey led the funeral.{{Cite web |title=Timeline, 1848-1850 {{!}} Timeline {{!}} Articles and Essays {{!}} Zachary Taylor Papers |url=https://www.loc.gov/collections/zachary-taylor-papers/articles-and-essays/timeline/1848-to-1850/ |website=Library of Congress}} Although much about Old Whitey's fate is unknown there is some evidence of what happened. There was a January 1897 article found by Pat Granstra with a quote from Taylor's daughter insisting that Old Whitey lived a long time.
It read the following:{{Cite web |last=Granstra |first=Pat |date=April 15, 2012 |title=Horse Story or Tall Tale |url=https://www.civilwarprimer.com/2012/04/horse-story-or-tall-tale/ |website=Civil War Primer}}{{Poemquote|text=You ask about Old Whitey; he was a great pet to us and all, and was never ridden after my father's return from Mexico, and when we went to Washington the horse was sent to his plantation. During his term as President there was so much interest and curiosity expressed to see the old charger that he had brought him to Washington, and after my father's death, he was sent back to the plantation, then the home of my brother Richard, where Whitey lived to a good old age.}}
See also
References
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{{United States presidential pets}}{{Zachary Taylor}}
Category:United States presidential horses