George Vest - St. Louis, Missouri - Grave of a Famous Person on Waymarking.com

George G. Vest was a Senator from the State of Missouri. He was one of the few people to serve both in the United States Senate and the Confederate Senate. Vest was also a lawyer known for his great courtroom oration. In 1870, Vest took the case tried on September 23, 1870 in which he represented a client whose hunting dog, a foxhound named Old Drum, had been killed by a sheep farmer. The farmer had previously announced his intentions to kill any dog found on his property; the dog's owner was suing for damages in the amount of $50, the maximum allowed by law. During the trial, Vest stated that he would "win the case or apologize to every dog in Missouri." Vest's closing argument to the jury made no reference to any of the testimony offered during the trial, and instead offered a eulogy of sorts. Vest's "Eulogy on the Dog" is one of the most enduring passages of purple prose in American courtroom history.

Following the Civil War Vest served in the United States Senate where he fought concession abuses in Yellowstone National Park. His fight to protect Yellowstone resulted in him being known as “The Protector of Yellowstone.” Vest served in the Senate until ill health forced him to resign on March 3, 1903. Senator George Vest retired to his home in Sweet Springs, Missouri where he died on August 4, 1904. He was the last living Confederate Senator. Senator George Vest is buried in Bellefontaine Cemetery in St. Louis, Missouri.

Source Credit: www.senate.gov

Description: George Graham Vest was born on December 6, 1830 in Frankfort, Kentucky. He graduated from law school and was admitted to the bar in 1853. In 1860 he moved to Missouri where he was elected to the Missouri House of Representatives. During the Civil War he served in the Confederate House of Representatives and the Confederate Senate. After the war he returned to Sedalia, Missouri and resumed his law practice. It was at this time that Vest was asked to take a case that would make him famous. Vest took the case tried on September 23, 1870 in which he represented a client whose hunting dog named Old Drum, had been killed by a sheep farmer.. Vest's closing argument to the jury made no reference to testimony offered during the trial, but instead he offer a "Eulogy on the Dog" which is one of the most enduring passages of purple prose in American courtroom history. Vest won the case, which stood the test of appeal all the way to the Missouri Supreme Court. The Text of his Eulogy is written below. “Gentlemen of the jury: The best friend a man has in this world may turn against him and become his enemy. His son or daughter that he has reared with loving care may prove ungrateful. Those who are nearest and dearest to us, those whom we trust with our happiness and our good name, may become traitors to their faith. The money that a man has, he may lose. It flies away from him, perhaps when he needs it the most. A man’s reputation may be sacrificed in a moment of ill-considered action. The people who are prone to fall on their knees to do us honor when success is with us may be the first to throw the stone of malice when failure settles its cloud upon our heads. The one absolutely unselfish friend that a man can have in this selfish world, the one that never deserts him and the one that never proves ungrateful or treacherous is his dog.” “Gentlemen of the jury: A man’s dog stands by him in prosperity and in poverty, in health and in sickness. He will sleep on the cold ground, where the wintry winds blow and the snow drives fiercely, if only he may be near his master’s side. He will kiss the hand that has no food to offer, he will lick the wounds and sores that come in encounters with the roughness of the world. He guards the sleep of his pauper master as if he were a prince. When all other friends desert, he remains. When riches take wings and reputation falls to pieces, he is as constant in his love as the sun in its journey through the heavens.” “If fortune drives the master forth an outcast in the world, friendless and homeless, the faithful dog asks no higher privilege than that of accompanying him to guard against danger, to fight against his enemies, and when the last scene of all comes, and death takes the master in its embrace and his body is laid away in the cold ground, no matter if all other friends pursue their way, there by his graveside will the noble dog be found, his head between his paws, his eyes sad but open in alert watchfulness, faithful and true even to death.” In 1879, Vest was elected to the United States Senate. In 1882, Vest became aware of concession abuses being proposed for Yellowstone National Park. He introduced and pass legislation that required the Secretary of the Interior to submit concession and construction contracts to the Senate for oversight. Throughout the remainder of his Senate career, Senator Vest was known as the protector of Yellowstone. Vest continued to serve in the Senate until he resigned on March 3, 1903 for reason of ill health. On August 9, 1904, Senator Vest died at his home in Sweet Springs, Missouri. At the time of his death he was the last living Confederate Senator. He is buried in the Bellefontaine Cemetery in St. Louis Missouri. Date of birth: 12/06/1830 Date of death: 08/09/1904 Area of notoriety: Politics Marker Type: Monument Setting: Outdoor Visiting Hours/Restrictions: Daily - 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. Fee required?: No Web site: [Web Link]

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