What is a Maverick?

“I’ve been called a ‘Maverick.” “Sometimes it’s meant as a compliment; sometimes it’s not.”
— Senator John McCain (R-AZ)

A “maverick” is an unbranded calf or yearling,
and is anybody’s for the taking.

 Is Senator McCain a “maverick”?

  

Calf or yearling: Senator McCain is 72 years old.

 Unbranded: Senator McCain has voted with President George W. Bush over 90 percent of the time.

Anybody’s for the taking: You decide. Really. Take a look. No kidding.

  Well, one out of three . . . .

 

Origin of the term:

 

Samuel Augustus Maverick (1803-1870)  bought a small herd of longhorn cattle in 1847 and let them wander and forage on the Matagorda Peninsula of Texas. According to Jeff Mannix:

 

The Longhorn cow will calve before the age of two and will have a calf every year of her life, often until the age of twenty and beyond, doubling the calf production of every other breed. She never has trouble delivering a healthy calf, seldom needs veterinary attention, and isn’t depleted by parasites. She will wean a strong, fat calf that is sixty percent of her own weight in seven months no matter how severe the conditions, and breed back in forty-five days after calving. Old Texas Longhorn ranchers boast that their cows have calves ‘every nine months and fifteen minutes.’

 

When Maverick and his sons returned to round up their cattle in 1854, there were quite a few unbranded calfs and cows around, and an unbranded calf came to be called a “maverick.” It is said that Samuel Maverick claimed all unbranded cattle as his own: “See no brand, so it’s ours.” 

 

Maverick sold off his herd in 1856, bought West Texas land, and owned 300,000 acres at his death in 1870. Maverick County, TX is named in his honor. NotionsCapital fondly recalls seeing his great-grandson Maury Maverick, Jr. in his “office” in the Texas state capital, the bar of the old Stephen F. Austin Hotel.