Fans of Missouri trivia will no doubt be familiar with the famous Old Drum trial, in which one western Missouri resident sued a neighbor over the execution of his dog. The case was heard—for the third time, if you want to know the specifics—in the Johnson County courthouse in Warrensburg. You may know about the statue of Old Drum outside the courthouse, and you may know that it was during this trial when the concept of dog as man’s best friend was supposed to have been first uttered aloud in English, but what you may not know is that the lawyer and politician who made this connection, George Graham Vest, became involved in the litigation through happenstance and said almost nothing else during the entire proceedings.
Thanks to the efforts of Stephen M. Vest, a relative of George, the biography of this extraordinary figure is now more easily understood, and his involvement in this famous trial in particular is clearer than before.
George Graham Vest: The Life and Times of Dog’s Best Friend, out from Missouri’s own Acclaim Press, tells the story of this native Kentuckian who eventually settled in Missouri and became one of the very few political figures of the nineteenth century to serve as both congressman in the Confederate States of America legislature as well as US senator representing Missouri. The book, well researched and unsparing in terms of contextual detail, chronicles episodes from George’s life including the Old Drum trial, his time in both CSA and USA legislatures, his friendship with Jesse James, and his relationship and rivalry with another Missourian who looms large in James Gang lore: Governor Thomas Theodore Crittenden, who issued the bounty that James’s assassin would attempt to collect.
The book is written in a straightforward, accessible tone and can be appreciated by both the scholar and the amateur historian. It also includes a selection of full-color political cartoons that depict George, often unfavorably, from instances during his career.
Any Missourian hoping to better understand their state or their relationship with the esteemed canine would do well to peruse this book.
GEORGE GRAHAM VEST: THE LIFE AND TIMES OF DOG’S BEST FRIEND, Stephen M. Vest, Acclaim Press, nonfiction, 240 pages, hardcover (5.9 by 8.6), $26.95
This story originally appeared in the September 2025 edition of Missouri Life.
