Jiggs II

Jiggs II (September 22, 1925 – March 30, 1937), also known as Silent White Richard, was the second of a number of English Bulldogs to serve as mascots of the United States Marine Corps. He succeeded the original mascot, Jiggs, following that dog's death in 1927. A champion of the Westminster Dog Show, Jiggs II was a generally well-behaved dog with a sensitive disposition – a contrast to his disagreeable friend Private Pagett. He served as Marine Corps mascot for ten years and, after death, was buried with full military honors at Marine Corps Base Quantico.

Jiggs II
Jiggs II pictured in 1928
Other name(s)Silent White Richard
SpeciesCanis lupus familiaris
BreedEnglish Bulldog
SexMale
BornSeptember 22, 1925
DiedMarch 30, 1937
Resting placeMarine Corps Base Quantico
Nation fromUnited States of America
OccupationMascot
Employer United States Marine Corps
PredecessorJiggs I
SuccessorSmedley[1]
Parent(s)Silent White Duke
Weight47 lb (21 kg)
Height15 in (38 cm)
AppearanceWhite with brindle markings
AwardsBlue Ribbon (1926 Westminster Dog Show)
Honorary Champion (1930 Westminster Dog Show)

Early life and family

Jiggs II was whelped in Huntington, New York, as Silent White Richard, the son of the champion show dog Silent White Duke, his father described by the Boston Globe as "one of the best-blooded English Bulldogs in America".[2][3][lower-alpha 1] He was almost entirely white with brindle markings on his face and tail.[3]

Jiggs II (foreground right) pictured with Smedley Butler, Bill, and Sergeant Thunder, in 1930.

Career

Silent White Richard won a blue ribbon at the 1926 Westminster Dog Show.[3]

The following year, he was presented to the United States Marine Corps by his owner, heavyweight boxing champion Gene Tunney – himself a former Marine – after Tunney learned of the death of Marine mascot Jiggs in January of that year.[4][5] He was formally accepted by the Marine Corps on March 27, 1927, and renamed Jiggs II.[3] At the time of his donation, Jiggs II was 17 months old, stood 15 inches (380 mm) high, and weighed 47 pounds (21 kg).[2][3]

Some months after Tunney donated Jiggs II, the dog was temporarily transferred back to the boxer to serve as mascot at his Chicago training camp before being returned to Marine service.[3]

In 1930, Jiggs II made another appearance at the Westminster Dog Show as a non-competing guest.[3] He was named by the show "Honorary Champion".[3]

During his career Jiggs II was posted to Marine Barracks Washington, Marine Corps Base Quantico, and Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island.[6] Notionally enlisted as a private, he was advanced to sergeant major in 1937.[7] He briefly served alongside Private Pagett (registered in pedigree under the name Pride of Field), an English Bulldog donated by the Corps of Royal Marines to the U.S. Marine Corps in 1927.[3] Private Pagett, who was known to have an unpleasant disposition and was prone to biting and chasing, died in 1928 due to heat exhaustion.[3]

Personal life

Early in his military career, the Boston Globe described Jiggs II as "ferocious looking" but with a "mild manner and gentle disposition".[2] Writing in a 1937 issue of American Kennel Gazette, then retired Sergeant Major Clarance Proctor affirmed this description of Jiggs II.[3] Tunney himself described Jiggs II as "a very sensitive dog".[6] According to Tunney, marines responsible for Jiggs II were under orders "never to scold him".[6] Two early instances of bad behavior were, nonetheless, attributed to Jiggs II; on one occasion he bit an ice man, and on another occasion he chased a stenographer down the hallway of the State, War, and Navy Building.[6]

Jiggs II died in 1937 and was buried at Marine Corps Base Quantico with full military honors.[7][8]

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See also

Notes
  1. Following death, Silent White Duke's body was donated to the American Museum of Natural History.[3]

References
  1. Morrow, Laurie Bogart (2012). The Giant Book of Dog Names. Simon and Schuster. p. 219. ISBN 9781451666908.
  2. "Jiggs II is Having Pretty Soft Time with Marines". Boston Globe. April 9, 1927. Retrieved November 30, 2018.(subscription required)
  3. Proctor, Clarance (December 1, 1934). "Devil Dogs Have Always Owned Many Great Dogs as Mascots" (PDF). American Kennel Gazette. p. 14.
  4. "Jiggs". Leatherneck. May 1927. Retrieved November 30, 2018.
  5. Maggitti, Phil (2009). Bulldogs. Barron's. p. 9. ISBN 0764196537.
  6. "Tunney Scans Service Record of Marine Mascot, Jiggs II". Miami News. March 4, 1928. Retrieved November 30, 2018.(subscription required)
  7. "Marines Arrange Mascot's Funeral". Evening Sun. March 31, 1937. Retrieved November 30, 2018.(subscription required)
  8. "Favorite Mascots of U.S. Marines are Dogs". Wilmington Daily Press Journal. May 11, 1937. Retrieved November 30, 2018.(subscription required)
Military offices
Preceded by
Jiggs I		 Mascot of the U.S. Marine Corps
1927–1937		 Succeeded by
Smedley
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