Commodore Nutt

**Commodore Nutt** (April 1, 1848 – May 25, 1881) was an American . He was born with the name **George Washington Morrison Nutt** in New Hampshire. He was very short. In 1861, he was   New England with a circus when P. T. Barnum hired him to appear at the American Museum in New York City.  Barnum gave Nutt the stage name Commodore Nutt, a  that included  uniforms, and a  carriage in the shape of an English walnut. Nutt became one of the Museum's major .

Nutt was in love with Lavinia Warren, another little person like him, at the American Museum. Lavinia was several years older than Nutt. She thought of him only as a "nice little boy". This in some ways, made Nutt depressed later on in life. She married General Tom Thumb in a  wedding  by Barnum in 1863. Nutt went to the wedding as Thumb's . He stayed away from women for a long time after the wedding. In 1879, he married Lilian Elston of Redwood City, California.

Nutt toured the world between 1869 and 1872 with the Thumbs and Lavinia's sister, Minnie Warren. They  to America  after  before royalty. Nutt left Barnum's employ after a  with the showman. He toured with a comic opera company, put together a variety show on the United States West Coast, and  saloons in Oregon and California. He returned to New York City, and died there of Bright's disease in May 25, 1881.

## Birth and family
George Washington Morrison Nutt was born in Manchester, New Hampshire to Major Rodnia Nutt (1810–1875), and his wife Maria (né Dodge) Nutt (1807–1859) of Goffstown, New Hampshire.

Rodnia Nutt and his wife were "large,  folk". Rodnia Nutt weighed over . Their sons Rod, Jr. and George Washington Morrison were little people. In 1861, Rod, Jr. was about  tall, and George was about . George weighed about .

## Ancestry
George's ancestors include William Nutt (1698–1751), a weaver of English ancestry. William left Londonderry, Ulster, Northern Ireland for North America in the early 18th century. He started a family in colonial New England. A part of Manchester was called Nutfield in the early days of settlement. A pond and a road near the pond were named for early Nutt settlers.

## Debut
Commodore Nutt made his  at Barnum's American Museum in February 1862. He was a great success. Some museum-goers believed they were being "ged" by Barnum though. They thought that Nutt was really General Tom Thumb in .

Nutt did look like the Tom Thumb of the past, but Thumb had aged and put on weight over the yearsa fact museum-goers either forgot or . Nutt was a ; he took pleasure in the public's confusion, and  the error.

When Nutt debuted, Thumb was touring the American South and West. Barnum wanted to silence those with doubts at the Museum. He asked Thumb to cut his tour short, return to New York, and perform on the same stage with Nutt. Thumb returned to New York.

The little men were  as "The Two Dromios" and "The Two Smallest Men, and Greatest Curiosities Living." The  opened on 11 August 1862. Despite what their eyes , some museum-goers still said that Nutt was Tom Thumb in disguise. Barnum wrote, "It is very amusing to see how people will sometimes  themselves by being too ."

About two months after his debut, Nutt met with New York City Police Department officers. He applied for and was given a policeman's job. He ordered a uniform. Then he sent a telegram to the officers of the Ninth Precinct telling them that he had just gotten a job on the Broadway Squadwith " powers to arrest" people outside the Museum and to "take [them] upstairs".

## President Lincoln
President Abraham Lincoln asked Barnum and Nutt to come to the White House in November 1862. When the two , Lincoln left a cabinet meeting to welcome them. Nutt asked Salmon P. Chase, the Secretary of the Treasury, if he was the man who was  so much of Uncle Sam's money.  Edwin M. Stanton, Secretary of War,  to say that he was the man. "Well," said Nutt, "It is in a good cause, anyhow, and I guess it will come out all right." As Barnum and Nutt were on their way out, President Lincoln shook Nutt's hand. He told the Commodore that he should " ashore" if his "" was ever in danger. Nutt looked up and down Lincoln's long legs. "I guess, Mr. President", he said, "You could do that better than I could."

## Relationships
### Lavinia Warren
Mercy Lavinia Warren Bump was a little person who taught school in her hometown of Marlboro, Massachusetts. She was traveling on a showboat-museum in the Midwest however when Barnum learned of her. He hired her in 1862. Her name was shortened to Lavinia Warren. She first appeared at the Museum in 1863. Warren was 21 years old,  tall, and weighed . Barnum billed her as "The Queen of Beauty". Nutt developed an "adolescent crush" on her, but Nutt would be disappointed.

Barnum gave Lavinia a diamond and emerald ring. It did not fit her finger properly, so he told her to give the ring to Nutt as a token of her friendship. Nutt regarded the ring as a token of her love instead. He fell more in love with her than ever. Lavinia was uncomfortable with his attentions. She thought of herself as "quite a woman", but regarded Nutt as just a "nice little boy".

Thumb was not appearing in New York City when Lavinia was hired, but he met her when he visited the Museum in the autumn of 1862. He told Barnum the same day that he had fallen in love with her. Thumb wanted Barnum on his side in this love affair (rather than on Nutt's side), so he quietly promised Barnum he would marry Lavinia in a public ceremony.

After his failures on the West Coast, Nutt went back to New York City. He bought a saloon. One day, he was caught selling liquor without a license. The New York City courts closed his saloon. Nutt was in charge of an amusement area called Rockaway Pier for a time. He returned to performing with an act called "Tally-Ho".

## Death
Early in 1881, Nutt had an attack of Bright's disease (nephritis). He was sick for more than two months. He died on 25 May 1881 at the Anthony House in New York City. Nutt's wife cried over his coffin at the funeral. She called him her "dear little boy", and said that he was "so good".

Nutt had grown from his original , and weighed a little less than  at his death. In 1891, the editors of ''Appleton's Cyclopedia'' wrote, "Commodore Nutt was ed for large-hearted virtues that are often lacking in bigger men; his   was allied to  and  that entitle his memory to the highest respect." The editors noted that Nutt was "for many years faithful to an early love."

## Notes
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## Other websites
* The Lost Museum