The governor and the cow

By Christopher Wills

The folks in our conservation lab never know what might pop up for cleaning and preservation. Take, for instance, this little poster entitled “The Foster Mother of the World.” It’s an ode to cows written by Illinois Gov. Frank O. Lowden (1917-21), who was also a cattle breeder and advocate.

Broadside dated 1919 released by Illinois' Division of Dairy Extension. (ALPLM)

It contains the immortal lines, “Men have sought for centuries the fabled Fountain of Youth. The nearest approach to that fountain which has yet been discovered is the udder of a cow.”

The broadside is dated 1919 and was released by the state agriculture department's Division of Dairy Extension. While it mentions a shortage of dairy products, there was actually a tremendous dairy surplus after World War I. This poster may have been part of a national effort to encourage people to consume more dairy. You can read more about the surplus at TheFoodHistorian.com and PlantBasedNews.org. 

Lowden and Alfred Vivian, dean of the Ohio State University College of Agriculture, with the school's 1926 homecoming queen, Maudine. (Courtesy of Ohio State Archives)

Lowden, who also served several terms in the U.S. House, was a contender for the Republican presidential nomination in 1924. He lost the nomination to Warren Harding in a protracted battle at the convention. He also sought the nomination in 1928.

Lowden did become president of the Holstein-Friesian Association of America and is in the Livestock Industry Hall of Fame. 

Wills is the ALPLM communications director.