Hercules (chef)

Hercules was the personal chef to General George Washington. When Washington was elected president he needed to bring one of his house hold servants with him, and that was his personal Chef. Hercules belonged to George and Martha Washington and was head cook at Mount Vernon for many years before moving to run the first presidential kitchen.

Hercules was such a great Chef he was able to make over 100 dollars a year selling extra food he made in Philadelphia. While no one is certain that the image is of Hercules, there is a painting from the right period of an African American Chef that may be Hercules. It is also possible he used some of his earnings to pay for this portrait.

He worked with a number of other African American slaves as well as white servants at the Presidential Mansion in what is now the greens at the Liberty Bell's building/museum. However, late in 1797 at the end of Washington's second term in office Hercules escaped to freedom. He was a run away slave for several years. When Washington died in 1799 his will freed Hercules which made him a Freeman and no longer a fugitive slave. This might indicate the nature of the respect General Washington had held for Hercules.

Hercules's wife had died while their three children were young. They were still slaves because of their mother. Hercules possibly remarried and fathered at least one more child. Unlike most period slaves because of his position working for the USA's first president there are many references concerning the life Hercules. He was a vibrant individual interested in nice clothing and other fine things in life according to historical documents.

External links

* http://www.ushistory.org/presidentshouse/slaves/hercules.htm
* http://www.ushistory.org/presidentshouse/news/fls022203.htm
* http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=18950467
* http://whyy.wordpress.com/category/sixth-square-almanac/
* http://www.ushistory.org/presidentshouse/images/hercules2.jpg