116 THE PORTRAIT GALLERY 
A CREATOR OF CART HORSE CHARACTER 
41. JonatHan Hatt TRUMAN possesses the singular honor of 
being an English citizen who has contributed in the broadest 
and most constructive way to the upbuilding of improved Ameri- 
can agriculture. Mr. Truman was born in Whittlesea, Cam- 
bridgeshire, England, November 26, 1842. He was educated 
at the Oundle Grammar School where he gained the highest 
honors, and upon graduation, he took over the cattle and sheep 
business of his father, GEORGE TRUMAN. 
Mr. TRUMAN was invited to purchase the first shipment of live 
fat cattle shipped from the United States to London. Being of 
adventurous nature, and noting their superiority he purchased 
forty head and shipped them inland to the market town of 
Peterborough. These cattle were a great attraction, but caused 
considerable trouble among the butchers and feeders who were 
his customers. The butchers, indeed, refused to buy them at 
any price and with John Bull conservatism, advised him not 
to bring any more Yankee cattle to their market. Unable to 
sell them he took them home to his farm, and retailed them 
individually to small country butchers, being firmly determined 
to gain his point and to establish a market for the American 
export trade. He invited two of the largest butchers in Peter- 
borough to look at some fat sheep he had on the farm, and pur- 
chased a chine roast of grade Angus beef from one of them 
for the dinner he intended to serve them when they inspected 
his muttons. For the same dinner he also had a chine from 
one of the Yankee bullocks. Placing both joints on the table, 
he asked his guests to try a piece of the American beef. Both 
refused, so were supposedly served with the grade Angus. After 
acclaiming the farmer who fed the grade Angus as the best 
feeder in the country, their surprise was overwhelming when 
