Pauline Wayne

Pauline Wayne was the last cow to live at the White House, and she might be its most famous four-legged lawnmower.

She arrived in 1911 during the administration of President William Howard Taft — a man who knew a thing or two about big appetites and even bigger personalities. Pauline wasn't just any cow. She was a prize-winning Holstein from Wisconsin, gifted to the president by Senator Isaac Stephenson. Taft, who was known for his love of good food, was delighted.

Pauline supplied fresh milk for the first family's table. And the White House staff loved her for another reason: she kept the lawn neatly trimmed, free of charge. No mowing needed when you have a cow.

But Pauline had a mind of her own. Stories say she was something of an escape artist, occasionally wandering off the White House grounds to explore Washington, D.C. She'd be found munching grass in Lafayette Square or strolling down Pennsylvania Avenue, with Secret Service agents scrambling to get her back. She was too useful — and too well-loved — to stay locked up.

When Taft left office in 1913, Pauline went with him. She returned to Wisconsin, where she lived out her days as a retired celebrity. No cow has lived at the White House since — making Pauline Wayne the last of her kind.