Hercules Posey

Hercules Posey was born about 1748 in Fairfax County, Virginia, enslaved from birth on the estate of Captain John Posey, a neighbor of George Washington. He did not begin life at Mount Vernon; Washington acquired him from Posey, who had mortgaged enslaved people as security for an unpaid debt. Hercules would carry the surname Posey into freedom, a quiet tie to his origins.

Rising through the plantation kitchens, Hercules became the master cook at Mount Vernon's Mansion House, learning his craft under older enslaved chefs across grueling days. In November 1790 Washington summoned him to Philadelphia to serve as principal chef of the first United States presidential household. There he commanded an elaborate kitchen, producing sophisticated multi-course meals for the President, diplomats, and statesmen, and won renown as a celebrated culinary artist.

On February 22, 1797 — Washington's sixty-fifth birthday — Hercules escaped from Mount Vernon, having been demoted to farm labor after his son Richmond was accused of theft. He was never recaptured. He reached New York City and lived free under the name Hercules Posey, becoming legally free on January 1, 1801, under the terms of Washington's will.

He had married Alice, a "dower" slave of the Custis estate; their children — Richmond, Eve, and Delia — remained enslaved because of their mother's status, a grief his freedom could not undo. Hercules Posey died in New York City on May 15, 1812, a free man and a master of his art. May his skill, his courage, and his long walk to freedom be honored and remembered.