Never Caught: The Washingtons’ Relentless Pursuit of Their Runaway Slave

In 1796, George Washington announces his retirement from the presidency and at the same time begins trying to recapture Judge, whose disappearance could reflect very badly on the soon-to-be former president. The Washingtons spend their last year in Philadelphia largely relying on white servants to avoid any additional mishaps.

Martha insists George retrieve Ona: “[t]he fugitive belonged to the first lady, after all, and Judge had already been promised to her granddaughter” (137). George decides to use the federal government’s resources to his advantage. Washington is convinced that Judge could only have run away if she had a male suitor, insisting that “[s]omeone else must have lured her away” (139). Dunbar notes that this is something that Washington continues believing for years, even without any evidence to support the idea.

Washington contacts Portsmouth customs official Joseph Whipple to enlist his help in recapturing Judge. In doing so, “[t]he president offered suggestions about recapturing the fugitive, and all of them were clear violations of the [Fugitive Slave Act]” (139) that Washington himself had signed into law several years prior. Dunbar notes that Whipple’s attitudes about slavery are more in line with other residents of Portsmouth than with the president, and “[a]lthough [Whipple] accepted the assignment from Washington with a professed eagerness and due respect, he planned to investigate the claims about