Health & Fitness
Brittanys at Beauregard: How a Morristown Man Brought Brittany Spaniels to the United States
Louis A. Thebaud was a wealth resident of Morristown, New Jersey beginning with the construction of his mansion in 1905. The mansion, named Beauregard, was built upon a plot of land that spanned 30 acres and which once belonged to Benjamin O. Canfield. Both Thebaud and his wife, Gertrude, were active members of their community. Thebaud was the founder of the Whippany River Club, which was founded on December 10, 1903. The club originally consisted of 12 millionaires whose combined wealth equaled $68 million. Members included presidents of large farms, railroad executives, and other wealthy men. Mrs. Thebaud donated $100,000 to the maternity wing of the All Soul’s Hospital, once located in Morristown, NJ but since burned down.
Thebaud was an executive of the Mutual Life Insurance Company. When there was a misuse of funds discovered, Thebaud and his father-in-law, Richard A. McCurdy, the president of the Mutual Life Insurance Company need to leave, and fast! The two men went to France until the scandal blew over. This scandal was reviewed in the Hughes Investigation, and McCurdy was forced to retire in 1906. It was probably while in France that Thebaud was first introduced to a Brittany Spaniel.
According to “A Brief History of the Brittany,” published online by the American Kennel Club, Louis A. Thebaud was the first man to import Brittany Spaniels to the United States. Brittany Spaniels first entered North America in 1928, when they were brought to Villa Obregon, Mexico by Senor Juan Pugibet. Six years later, in 1933, Thebaud introduced the breed to the United States. Thebaud received the “Standard of Perfection” for Brittany Spaniels from the French Kennel Club in July of 1934. The American Kennel Club approved the breed a month later, but the “Standard of Perfection” was not approved until March 12, 1935. In 1936, the Brittany Spaniel Club of North America was founded, and it became an official member of the American Kennel Club on September 15, 1936.
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As a Brittany Spaniel owner myself, it was fascinating to learn that these pups probably started their American history right here in Morristown. As the home of The Seeing Eye, the first guide dog school in the country, Morristown has left its paw print on the annals of canine history. The fact that Brittany Spaniels started their American migration in the same town is just another reason to "give that dog a bone."
For more information about the history of the Brittany Spaniel, please check out "A Brief History of the Brittany Spaniel," written for the American Kennel Club. The Mutual Life Insurance Company scandal at the turn of the 20th century was documented by the New York Times.
Information about Beauregard, the Thebaud Family, and the Keasbys can be found in Mansions of Morris County, written by John W. Rae and In Light and Shadows: Morristown in Three Centuries by Cam Cavanaugh. Mansions of Morris County and In Light and Shadows are available in the MCHS gift shop, which is open Wednesdays and Thursday from 11:00 am to 4:00 pm and Sundays from 11:00 am to 4:00 pm.
