Owensboro in Daviess County, Kentucky — The American South (East South Central)

George Graham Vest / "Tribute to a Dog"

George Graham Vest (<i>side 1</i>) image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, September 17, 2017

1. George Graham Vest (side 1)

Inscription. Click to hear the inscription.

George Graham Vest Established Owensboro’s second newspaper, The Gazette, near here in 1852, with Robert S. Triplett, an Owensboro businessman. Vest was U.S. Senator from Missouri, 1879-1903. Author of world famous “Tribute to a Dog.” This spontaneous oration in court in defense of a backwoodsman’s dog, “Old Drum,” won case for the client and gained George G. Vest world fame.

“Tribute to a Dog” "The one absolutely unselfish friend that man can have… the one that never deserts him, the one that never proves ungrateful or treacherous, is his dog… He guards the sleep of his pauper master as if he were a prince. When all other friends desert he remains.”

-- From a pleading before a
jury by George Graham Vest.

Erected 1972 by Kentucky Historical Society & Kentucky Department of Highways. (Marker Number 1436.)

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Animals • Government & Politics.

Location. 37° 46.43′

"Tribute to a Dog" (<i>side 2</i>) image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, September 17, 2017

2. "Tribute to a Dog" (side 2)

Click or scan to see
this page online

N, 87° 6.751′ W. Marker is in Owensboro, Kentucky, in Daviess County. Marker is on West 3rd Street west of St Ann Street, on the right when traveling west. Located near the sidewalk, in front of the Daviess County Courthouse grounds, near the SE corner. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 212 St Ann St, Owensboro KY 42303, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Wendell H. Ford (a few steps from this marker); Confederate Congressional Medal of Honour (within shouting distance of this marker); Daviess Countians Who Served (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Courthouse Burned (about 300 feet away); Medal of Honor Winners (about 300 feet away); Daviess Co. U.S. Colored Troops in the Civil War (about 400 feet away); Bill Smothers Park (approx. 0.2 miles away); Hazen A. Dean (1899-1984) (approx. 0.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Owensboro.

Also see . . .
1. George Graham Vest, "Tribute to a Dog" Marker. Historical Marker # 1436 at the Owensboro courthouse honors George Graham Vest, who began Owensboro’s second newspaper in 1852. During the Civil War, Vest served in the Confederate army under General Sterling Price and served three sessions in the Confederate Congress (February 1862 until January 1865). After the war, he returned to practicing law until 1879, when he was elected to the United States Senate as a Democrat. (Submitted on July 5, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

George Graham Vest Marker (<i>wide view; Daviees County Courthouse in background</i>) image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, September 17, 2017

3. George Graham Vest Marker (wide view; Daviees County Courthouse in background)

2. George Graham Vest. George Graham Vest (1830–1904) was a U.S. politician. Born in Frankfort, Kentucky, he was known for his skills in oration and debate. Vest, a lawyer as well as a politician, served as a Missouri Congressman, a Confederate Congressman during the Civil War, and finally a US Senator. He is best known for his "a man's best friend" closing arguments from the trial in which damages were sought for the killing of a dog named Old Drum on October 18, 1869. (Submitted on July 5, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

3. Ronald Reagan - Tribute to the Dog (YouTube, 3 min.). "In this 1964 episode of Death Valley Days, Ronald Reagan portrays Senator George Graham Vest (1869) in his tribute to the dog." (Submitted on July 6, 2018.)

"Tribute to a Dog" (<i>side 2; wide view; St. Ann Street in background</i>) image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, September 17, 2017

4. "Tribute to a Dog" (side 2; wide view; St. Ann Street in background)

Credits. This page was last revised on April 14, 2022. It was originally submitted on July 4, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 1,304 times since then and 374 times this year. Last updated on July 7, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on July 5, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.