Just before the end of President Woodrow Wilson’s second term as President, he was given a white bull terrier named “Whitestock Service Man” a.k.a. Bruce.
Bruce was given to the President by a breeder who admired Wilson greatly. Along with Bruce, the breeder sent a warm and sentimental note, stating that Wilson had “wonderful gameness under suffering and adverse circumstances,” and complimented him for his “natural, inherent love for his fellow man.”
Wilson’s health was starting to decline, and he suffered a stroke while on an arduous speaking tour on October 2nd, 1919. In light of this, the breeder ensured that Bruce was housebroken before he gifted him to the President. Bruce’s disposition was well-suited to Wilson as well, as “Bruce was known for his “plucky, but sweet, gentle disposition,” according to Carolyn Alexander in Bull Terriers. Bruce was meant to be a gentle and well-trained companion to the President as his health declined.
At the end of the Presidency, Bruce went along with the family to their new home in Washington D.C.
