Hercules (head chef)

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Hercules (also Herculas , Uncle Harkless ; * around 1755, † after March 1797) was the head chef at George Washington's Mount Vernon estate in Virginia around 1780 . In November 1790, he was brought to the then capital, Philadelphia , to work in the kitchen of the President's office there. Most of what is known about him today comes from Martha Washington's grandson, George Washington Parke Custis , whose memoirs were published posthumously in 1860.

Mount Vernon

Hercules was likely the child of George Washington's slave, or was bought after Washington married Martha Custis, a widow. Hercules married the seamstress Lame Alice, one of Martha's “dowry” slaves, and had three children with her: Richmond (* 1777), Evey (* 1782) and Delia (* 1785). Alice died in 1787. A few years after his wife's death, Hercules had another child from another woman; their identity and possible marriage are unproven.

In the President's household

Washington was so dissatisfied with the kitchen in the presidential house that he had Hercules brought to Philadelphia. The other Mount Vernon slaves who also worked there were Oney Judge , Moll, Austin, Christopher Sheels , Giles, Paris, William Lee, and Joe (Richardson). (Joe's wife and children took on the name Richardson after their release by George Washington, while Joe himself, as a "dowry" slave of Martha Washington, was not released.) At Hercules' request, his son Richmond was also brought to Philadelphia. According to Custis, Hercules was "a celebrated artist ... as highly accomplished a proficient in the culinary art as could be found in the United States." His cooking skills were highly valued by the Washingtons. He was granted the privilege of selling leftover food from the presidential kitchen, which is estimated to make over $ 100 a year. According to Custis, Hercules was a "celebrated dandy" who spent his money on expensive clothing and luxury.

Pennsylvania began abolishing slavery with the Gradual Abolition Act in 1780 , banning non-residents from keeping slaves within the state for more than six months. The Abolition Act also gave slaves the legal power to set themselves free. Exceptions were members of Congress, while the executive and judiciary, which were only anchored in the constitution in 1788, were not taken into account. When the capital was moved to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1790, the question of the legal status of Washington's slaves arose. Washington argued (privately) that its presence in Pennsylvania was based solely on the fact that Philadelphia was the temporary federal residence and that state law did not obey it. On the advice of Attorney General Edmund Randolph , he rotated the slaves who worked in the presidential budget in and out of the state to prevent this six-month rule from operating. He made sure never to be in Pennsylvania for six months straight and argued that he would continue to be a resident of Virginia. This rotation was in violation or circumvention of Pennsylvania law. However, this action by the President had no legal consequences.

Hercules' son Richmond worked by his side in the kitchen. When they returned to Mount Vernon once again, Richmond was caught stealing money. Washington suspected that father and son were planning to flee together. A few months later, in March 1797, when Washington’s presidency ended, Hercules fled to freedom alone the night before they returned to Mount Vernon. Richmond was demoted to a simple worker.

Freedom for some

The future King of France, Louis-Philippe I , visited Mount Vernon in the spring of 1797, one month after Hercules' flight. His servant met his six-year-old daughter. In his diary on April 5, Louis-Philippe noted:

“The chef ran away, he's in Philadelphia now, and his little girl stayed behind in Mount Vernon. Beaudoin assumed that the little girl must be deeply dismayed that she would never see her father again; she replied, ' Oh! Sir, I am very glad that he is free now. '“

-

Hercules was a slave to Washington (and not to Martha), and although he was never to know, by the last will of George Washington, he was free four years after his escape. Since Hercules' wife Alice was a "dowry" slave of Martha Washington owned by her first husband Daniel Parke Custis , Washington's last will did not allow their children to be set free. Like the 153 other "dowry" slaves, they were divided among her four grandchildren after Martha Washington's death in 1802. Nothing is known about their further fate.

Commemoration

A new building for the Liberty Bell was opened in Philadelphia in 2003, which is partly on the site of the presidential house that had been demolished long before. On the lawn across from this building is a memorial to the house and all of its residents including the slaves.

A portrait painted by Gilbert Stuart , now on display in the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum in Madrid, probably depicts the portrait of Hercules.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Hercules biographical sketch at www.ushistory.org
  2. ↑ Pennsylvania's Gradual Abolition Act (1780)
  3. ↑ Future children of female slaves came into contract servitude , which they had to do with their mother's slave owner until they were 28 years old.
  4. ^ Hercules and Hemings: Presidents' Slave Chefs . 
  5. ↑ Richmond biographical sketch at www.ushistory.org
  6. ^ Louis-Philippe: Diary of My Travels in America , translation by Stephen Becker. Delacorte Press, New York 1977, p. 32
  7. ↑ Washington's will  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.@1@ 2Template: Dead Link / livingtrustnetwork.com  
  8. ↑ Hercules portrait?

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Hercules
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Herculas; Uncle Harkless
BRIEF DESCRIPTION George Washington's slave and chef
DATE OF BIRTH around 1755
DATE OF DEATH after March 1797