Scent of a President: Four American Presidents Favoring Caswell Massey Fragrances

Caswell-Massey was founded as Dr. Hunter's Apothecary, or, alternatively, Dispensary, in Newport, Rhode Island, in 1752 by Scottish immgrant, William Hunter (c. 1729/1731 - January 30, 1777). The company's current name reflects the partnership which then-owner John Rose Caswell (September 18, 1834 - March 9, 1918) formed in 1876 with New York-based English pharmaceutical businessman William Morton Massey (c. 1841 - November 26, 1915).

William studied medicine in Edinburgh, southeastern Scotland, and in Leyden, the renowned weaving city in western Netherlands' South Holland province whence the Pilgrims embarked for America in the seventeenth century. William supported the second Jacobite pretender to the thrones of England, Scotland, and Ireland, Charles Edward Stuart (December 31, 1720 – January 31, 1788), known retrospectively as Bonnie Prince Charlie. Some time after the downfall of the Jacobite uprising with defeat at the Battle of Culloden on April 16, 1746, William sailed for America.

By 1752, William had settled in the colony of Rhode Island, where he practiced medicine, including obstetrics, and gave lectures on anatomy. William is credited with delivering the first medical lecture on the North American continent: on Anatomy at the State House in Newport in 1756.

In March 1758 the General Assembly appointed William as physician and surgeon-general to the Rhode Island troops of the British Army. William served under James Abercrombie (1706 – April 23, 1781), General and commander-in-chief of the British Army in North America, in the Battle of Carillon, also known as the 1758 Battle of Ticonderaga, the bloodiest battle of the French and Indian War (1754 - 1763), fought on July 8, 1758.

On September 13, 1761 at Newport's Trinity Church, he married Deborah (November 23, 1744 - October 15, 1813), who, according to most sources, was the daughter of wealthy triangle trade (molasses-rum-slaves) shipping merchant Godfrey Malbone Sr. (January 18, 1694 - February 22, 1768). (One source lists Godfrey Malbone Jr. [September 3, 1724 - November 12, 1785] and his wife Catherine Brinley [1724 - November 28, 1795] as her parents and Godfrey Sr. as her grandfather.) William and Deborah had six children:

• Elizabeth (July 20, 1762 - 1859),
• Anne (April 10, 1766 - December 21, 1859), who married Jean-Louis Théodore de Palézieux
  Falconnet (1760 - 1825), a banker in London and Naples,
• William (April 20, 1768 - November 18, 1772),
• Katherine (June 2, 1770 - October 1, 1770),
• Katherine (February 28, 1773 - 1860), who married Charles Gérard Anne Guy Dupleix de Cadignan (May 11, 1767 - 1803), and
• William (November 26, 1774 - December 3, 1849), whose public service included serving as Senator from Rhode Island (1811 - 1821) and as U.S. Ambassador to Brazil, (1835 - 1843).

Tragically, William died in 1777 from a fever that he had caught while tending to British Army soldiers. 

Caswell-Massey has the business epithet, "America's Enlightened Apothecary Since 1752." The company has a solid reputation for, among others, a trilogy of admirable hallmarks that guarantees the enduring appeal of its luxurious personal care products:

• made in America: all of the company's products exemplify the dedicated artisanry of centuries of American-based manufacturers;
• ethical product development: not one of the company's products is ever tested on animals;
• environmental sustainability: the company's revered soaps are biodegradable and vegetable-based, and packaging is either biodegradable or recyclable.

Four U.S. presidents number among the devoted, illustrious clientele of Caswell-Massey products. Each President found individual expression in selecting his favorite fragrance.

The original line of twenty fragrances was numbered chronologically. Number Six, a blend of over thirty natural essences, including bergamot, cloves, narcissus, oranges, pine, and rosemary, appealed to George Washington.

Dr. Hunter's Castile Soap, newly launched in 1861, found immediate favor with Abraham Lincoln. Targeted for those who embrace naturalness, fragrance-free Castile Soap is enriched with shea butter and, as a moisturizer, olive oil. The mild soap enchants all skin types and especially is treasured by those with sensitive skin.

Almond Cold Cream soap fragranced Dwight David Eisenhower's presidency. Caswell-Massey soaps are triple-milled to assure customers of perfect, richly homogeneous color, fragrance, and lather throughout the entire soap bar. Almond nuances are blended with cold cream's moisturizing qualities to create a fragrant, gentle, nurturing cleanser.

Jockey Club is described in confident terms as a winning scent, appropriate for both equestrian events and Inaugural Balls. The light racy scent of Jockey Club ended up as a favorite of John F. Kennedy.

Caswell-Massey, as America's enlightened apothecary, has weathered the centuries, along with the historic landscape in which the company was founded.

Quality colognes and soaps were as necessary in colonial times as they are now. With the company's conscientious commitment to and rightful reputation for fine products manufactured ethically and naturally under the proud stamp of "Made in America," Caswell-Massey understandably has caught the attention of an array of illustrious Americans. Included in the list of client luminaries are at least four U.S. Presidents, from the eighteenth century to the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.

The favored scents of Presidents waft from among Caswell-Massey's perfect products.

My special thanks to talented artists and photographers/concerned organizations who make their fine images available on the internet.

U.S. Presidential flag, 1960-present: defined in Executive Order 10860: Zscout370 at English Wikipedia, CC BY SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons @ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Flag_of_the_President_of_the_United_States_of_America.svg

Old Colony House, aka Old State House, in Newport, Rhode Island: Daniel Case, CC BY SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons @ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Old_Rhode_Island_State_House_edit1.jpg

Malbone Castle, Newport, Rhode Island: hints of the wealthy upbringing of Dr. Hunter's wife: Ssaco, CC BY SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons @ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Malbone_Castle_from_the_East.jpg

1789-1796 oil on canvas by Edward Savage (November 26, 1761 – July 6, 1817) ~ National Gallery of Art, Washington DC: Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons @ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Edward_Savage_-_The_Washington_Family_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg

patent model of Abraham Lincoln's invention ~ Smithsonian Institution: David and Jessie, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons @ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Patent_Model_of_Abraham_Lincoln%27s_Invention.jpg

Star of the Soviet Order of Victory: Фред Искендеров, Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons @ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Orden-Pobeda-Marshal_Vasilevsky.jpg

August 14, 1963, photo by Cecil William Stoughton (January 18, 1920 – November 3, 2008): National Archives and Records Administration, Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons @ https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Kennedy_Family_with_Dogs_During_a_Weekend_at_Hyannisport_1963.png; Unrestricted Use, via National Archives Catalog @ https://catalog.archives.gov/id/194258

June 1971 photo by National Park Service photographer Jack E. Boucher (September 4, 1931–September 2, 2012): Library of Congress Historic American Buildings Survey, No known restrictions, via LOC Prints & Photographs Online Catalog (PPOC) @ https://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/ri0067.photos.144377p/

June 1971 photo by National Park Service photographer Jack E. Boucher (September 4, 1931–September 2, 2012): Library of Congress Historic American Buildings Survey, No known restrictions, via LOC Prints & Photographs Online Catalog (PPOC) @ http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/ri0067.photos.144361p/

April 30, 2007, aerial photo by Carol M. Highsmith (born May 18, 1946); Carol M. Highsmith's America Project, Library of Congress: No known restrictions, via LOC Prints & Photographs Online Catalog (PPOC) @ https://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2010630899/

"Almond Cold Cream Hand Soap." Caswell-Massey > Bar Soap. Caswell-Massey. Web. www.caswellmassey.com

• Available at: http://www.caswellmassey.com/almond-cold-cream-hand-soap.aspx

"Caswell-Massey Timeline." Caswell-Massey > About Us. Caswell-Massey. Web. www.caswellmassey.com

• Available at: http://www.caswellmassey.com/timeline/default.aspx

Clemens, William M. Hunter Family Records: An Account of the First American Settlers and Colonial Families of the Name of Hunter, and Other Genealogical and Historical Data, Mostly New and Original Material, Including Early Wills and Marriages Heretofore Unpublished. New York: William M. Clemens, 1914.

• Available via Internet Archive at: https://archive.org/details/hunterfamilyreco00clemin 

"Died: Massey." The New York Times, November 29, 1915.

• Available at: http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=F20E16F6385B17738DDDA00A94D9415B858DF1D3

"Dr. Hunter's Castile Soap." Caswell-Massey > Bar Soap. Caswell-Massey. Web. www.caswellmassey.com

• Available at: http://www.caswellmassey.com/castile-soap.aspx

Emerson, Jason. Lincoln the Inventor. Carbondale IL: Southern Illinois University Press, 2009.

Guild, R.A. "The Scotts of Newport R.I." The New England Notes and Queries, Volume 1, No. 1 (January 1890): 2-4.

• Available via Internet Archive at: https://archive.org/details/newenglandnotesq00newp

“JFK’s Dogs.” Presidential Pet Museum > Pets. July 22, 2013. Presidential Pets. Web. presidentialpetmuseum.com

• Available at: http://presidentialpetmuseum.com/pets/jfk-dogs/

"Jockey Club Bath Soap." Caswell-Massey > Bar Soap. Caswell-Massey. Web. www.caswellmassey.com

• Available at: http://www.caswellmassey.com/jockey-club-bath-soap.aspx?DepartmentId=118

Kelly, Howard Atwood, and Walter L. Burrage. American Medical Biographies. Baltimore: The Norman, Remington Company, 1920.

• Available via Internet Archive at: https://archive.org/details/americanmedicalb1920kell

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• Available via Internet Archive at: https://archive.org/details/americaneloquenc02inmoor

Morgan, Keith N., and Timothy T. More. "Malbone." National Register of Historic Places Inventory -- Nomination Form. February 18, 1976.

• Available cached at: www.preservation.ri.gov/.../newport/newp_malbone-road...‎

"Number Six Bath Soap." Caswell-Massey > Bar Soap. Caswell-Massey. Web. www.caswellmassey.com

• Available at: http://www.caswellmassey.com/number-six-bath-soap.aspx?DepartmentId=118

"Presidential Soap Collection." Caswell-Massey > Bar Soap. Caswell-Massey. Web. www.caswellmassey.com

• Available at: http://www.caswellmassey.com/presidential-bar-soap-collection.aspx?DepartmentId=118

Representative Men and Old Families of Rhode Island: Genealogical Records and Historical Sketches of Prominent and Representative Citizens and of Many of the Old Families. Volume I. Chicago IL: J.H. Beers & Co., 1908.

• Available via HathiTrust at: http://hdl.handle.net/2027/coo.31924092219892

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Ruger, William Crawford (Chief Judge). "John R. Caswell et al., as Survivors, etc., Appellants, v. Rowland N. Hazard et al., Respondents." Reports of Cases Decided in the Court of Appeals of the State of New York, From and Including Decisions of April 15, 1890, to October 7, 1890. Volume CXXI: 484-498. Albany NY: James B. Lyon, 1890.

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• Available at: www.gilbertstuartmuseum.com/fall2010.pdf‎

Stone, Edwin Martin. Our French Allies: Rochambeau and his Army, Lafayette and his Devotion, D'Estaing, DeTernay, Barras, DeGrasse, and their Fleets, in the Great War of the American Revolution, from 1778 to 1782. Providence RI: Providence Press Company, 1884.

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