Finally he had the mother of all a nicotine fits which ultimately claimed his life. Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama both had a ton of animals, some of which were quite bizarre. The True Story of John Quincy Adams Pet Alligator, A Brief History of 5 Failed North American Colonies, The Rise of Kpop: How a Genre Took over the World. Ali. , Little Patriot Press; Illustrated edition (February 4, 2013), Language 3 years ago. , Grade level He had an unusual gift for then president John Quincy Adams: an alligator. In the early 1900s, President Theodore Roosevelt kept a crocodile as a pet. Foxiz News Network. "Russell Harrison's Alligator Didn't Influence His Friends' Luck." While she spent her days being pregnant, Billy continued to sew his wild oats with another hippo gal pal, Matilda, who popped out an additional eight kids. Among the flock was Old Ike, an ornery ol' ram with a penchant for tobacco. Get the best of Cracked sent directly to your inbox! Hoovers younger son, Allan, had two pet alligators that frequented the White House grounds, amazing and quite possibly terrifying guests. To cut lawn-cutting costs in the White House during World War I, President Woodrow Wilson brought in a flock of sheep to graze the lawns and keep the grass trim. 30 August 2017. By the time Billy arrived, Coolidge had amassed an assortment of dogs, birds, a wallaby and a domesticated raccoon named Rebecca, a filthy but favorite pet of the first lady. Harry, FDRs pet hyena, was imported from Africa in 1933 and named after him. This animal is the largest of the carnivorous kind I ever saw". Unable to add item to List. -- Meet Rambo, a gentle alligator whose Florida owner says he "eats at the dinner table, sleeps in my bed and follows me around like my dogs." But now his owner, 55-year-old Mary Thorn . President Roosevelt owned a menagerie. According to contemporary accounts, at Jackson's own funeral service at the family residence the bird started loudly shrieking swear words so offensive it had to be taken away. Reviewed in the United States on February 28, 2014. We agree with Dorre, and rate the John Quincy Adams story "Unproven.". Which President had an alligator as a pet? Every once in a while, a dolt drops a gem. As all good bear cubs do, they grew too big and Jefferson decided to have them shipped to a museum in Philadelphia, storing them in cages on the White House lawn for several months until all the arrangements could be made. It also analyzed reviews to verify trustworthiness. In terms of the nominations, Theodore Roosevelt is tied with Franklin D. Roosevelt. Some of the more unusual U.S. presidential pets have been gifts from other world leaders. 3434 carolina southern belle; why is austria a developed country; which president had a pet crocodile. The General, a horse The Revolutionary War hero Marquis de Lafayette was given a live alligator while touring the 24 United States in 1824 and 1825, so he regifted the gator to President Adams, who put the reptile in a tub in the then-unfinished East Wing. Arkell and Artist Gillam of Judge, both of whom are interested in one of the stables of horses at the track. Image Via John Plumbe [Public domain] / Wikimedia Commons. So Quentin put the animal on the White House elevator and brought him to Archie's upstairs room. [15] Among the canines was Spot Fetcher, an English Springer Spaniel and the offspring of George H. W. Bush's dog, Millie. Sorry, there was a problem loading this page. With a red brick to remind them of the St. John's river banks, and amid clusters of oranges, growing upon trees in the conservatory, the alligators seem perfectly at home, and apparently in thriving condition. They had an English Mastiff along with 7 other dogs, 3 cats, 3 Canaries, a mockingbird, a goat, and several cows. Help others learn more about this product by uploading a video! He used it to terrify guests for about two months before finally giving it away. The commander in chief also had two Scottish terriers named Barney and Miss Beazley, but Spotty was the only pet to live in the White House during two administrations. Former President Barack Obama's daughters lobbied hard to get a pet. What presidents kept alligators in the White House? They eventually sent him to a nearby zoo. True to his name, this miraculous crocodile began to heal and recover from his drastic injury. He was the president of a crime organization called Baroque Works . Almost immediately . Running to show his father, Quentin interrupted an important meeting and dropped the snakes all over his father's desk! To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we dont use a simple average. Publisher Unfortunately, we dont know what President and Mrs. John Quincy Adamss initial reactions were to this unusual re-gifting. The stories sound both funny and scary with just the right amount of everything that is considered too good or too hilarious to be true and maybe it was. Access your favorite topics in a personalized feed while you're on the go. But in 1903, one little girl--perhaps the most awesome little girl ever born--decided to throw a badger. So the cubs were sent to a local zoo. White House staff reportedly weren't so keen on Rebecca, due to her habit of clambering onto furniture, damaging expensive upholstery with her claws. But Allan Hoover divested himself of both specimens shortly thereafter, when his interest in reptiles gave way to stamp collecting. Fortunately the family fell in love with her, and instead adopted Rebecca as a pet. Senator Trammell carried word to White House offices today that President-elect Harding had already accepted a "fair sized 'gator" from Henry Hennett, of Jacksonville. Nixons other dogs were frequently seen playing with the lively Pasha. Many of the 45 presidents of the United States have been animal lovers, with pet choices far beyond the ordinary run of cats and dogs. And some of these pets have been downright strange, and wouldnt even be legal to keep today. Among the pre-Internet mentions we encountered was a variant in the 1958 bookThe White House and Its Thirty-Three Families, by Amy La Follette Jensen, suggesting that the creature wasn't so much a gift to the White House as an item temporarily stored there: Most of the excitement [in the Adams White House] came from visiting diplomats, and throughout July and August of 1825, visitors had the thrill of meeting General Lafayette. It created a bit of a cult . Although we couldn't find a source on this, it's likely Pauline supplied the gallon of butter that Taft and six White House aides needed to free the president from the White House bathtub every morning. Peter is a journalist and broadcaster who reports on public policy issues in Washington, D.C. Peter and Cheryl have two children and live in Alexandria, Virginia. They were speaking metaphorically, of course, about Trump's intention to rid the federal government of corruption and waste. Members of the family in the Executive Mansion did not take very kindly to the new animals, however, and they were place in an ordinary tin foot-tub and consigned to the conservatory, which is connected with the main floor of the mansion. Crocodiles have an image problem in the Philippines. My grandson loves alligators, crocodiles. President John Tyler, 1841-1845 . All Rights Reserved. If hippos had high schools, they'd name one after Billy. Nixon loved them both as a pet and for their playful nature, which he valued. Odd book, but preschoolers will like the pictures. President Lyndon Johnson had two pet beagles, Him and Her. Male Crocodile Names. Plodding Through the Presidents blog. Alligators in the White House Bathtub, Oh My! Abraham Lincoln (16th President, 1861-1865) and his family took care of many animals, including a pig, a rabbit, ponies, cats, and dogs. In terms of the nominations, Theodore Roosevelt is tied with Franklin D. Roosevelt. Beat gives a rundown of all of the pets of all of the American Presidents while they lived in the White House. 19 February 2018. So there is the question of where the alligator came from and according to the website snopes.com, the only written record they came across was The White House and Its 33 Families by Amy La Follette Jensen. Try again. Him sired a litter of puppies in 1965, and LBJ . I have been keeping reptiles as pets for over 20 years, and I have also worked with reptiles in zoos and nature centers. No more changing the clocks? That's not a metaphor. Old Whitey was a revered war horse while Apollo was reported to be a former circus pony. Write CSS OR LESS and hit save. Australian researchers have found the 95-million-year-old remains of a crocodile that had eaten a dinosaur before it died. However, it is known that some presidents, including Thomas Jefferson and Theodore Roosevelt, kept alligators as pets during their time in office. Irwan, the reptile's owner, said he bought the animal 20 years ago from local fishermen who . Powell to talk to Congress about the possibility of more interest-rate hikes, not fewer, Jon Stewart to GOP state senator: You dont give a flying f about gun violence. 2 When the family had to vacate the White House during the 1927 roof renovation, Rebecca moved with them to the . She is also happily married to Peter Barnes (author of the books Cheryl illustrates and the Fox Business News-Washington, D.C., senior correspondent) with two daughters, and she is strikingly attractive and physically fit. CTRL + SPACE for auto-complete. But this viral video will make you rethink about the very definition of the word. The Presidential Pet Museum. He brought his collection of creatively named pets with him. Just look at how happy that raccoon makes Grace. Anyway, he went about his business on the White House lawn, boinking the sheep until there were 18 of 'em, munching away at the grass and supplying wool which was auctioned off to help the Salvation Army, a group whose beliefs prevented members from drinking and smoking. But President Theodore Roosevelt (1901-1909) outdid them all, owning dozens of animals including a one-legged rooster, dogs, cats, horses, a pony, snakes, kangaroo rats, a flying squirrel and a badger named Josiah who had a penchant for nipping peoples legs. A White House zoo? They are creators of the best-selling "Woodrow, the White House Mouse" and other children's books that teach young readers about government and civics. Reviewed in the United States on September 14, 2014, Reviewed in the United States on July 15, 2016. He is the longest-running major antagonist in the series. The wife of John Quincy Adams, the sixth president, had silkworms. CNN cited a Mental Floss article by Ethan Trex that stated, "The sixth president also had a pet gator. : Life is good. Quincys pet alligator has been a topic surrounded by a lot of speculation that it eventually begins to sound and feel like a myth. Harry slept in a separate bedroom from the rest of the family during his stay at the Roosevelt home. No, to the best of our knowledge, no president has ever kept a crocodile as a pet. Now we're not promoting either tobacco use or promiscuous sex, but you have to admit that Ike the Ram was cool before the country even knew what cool was. , Item Weight : This time, it was two tiger cubs, given to him by the Sultan of Oman. Ok, so the choice of pet itself isn't exactly unusual. Caroline and the pony featured in a Life magazine spread on the first family, and singer-songwriter Neil Diamond claimed that the images inspired his hit song "Sweet Caroline.". Over the course of the next 25 years, Billy got busy getting busy with Hannah. As the saying goes, behind every myth is a story about something that happened to inspire it. Reviewed in the United States on December 24, 2013. Congress argued that the cubs had been gifted to the United States, not Buren personally, and that it was up to Congress to decide what to do with them. After a forest fire moves through a small California town, a class of fifth grade students reflect on how they survived, and those who didn't make it. Which President had an alligator as a pet? Along with pterosaurs and dinosaurs, crocodiles were an offshoot of the archosaurs, the "ruling lizards" of the early-to-middle Triassic period of the Mesozoic Era.This epoch in history began about 251 million years ago and ended 65 million years ago. So what's next? They shot the other one dead, too, since once you get into the bear-shooting groove it's actually really hard to stop. Joe and Jill Biden plan to bring their German shepherds Champ and Major with them to the White House in January 2021, and many people reacted with joy that there would be pets in the White House again after Trump became the first president in more than 100 years to eschew keeping a furry or feathered friend. He had developed a reputation as being "frisky" and, with zookeepers eager to get their hands on some pygmy hippo baby-batter, he was paired with another hippo, Hannah. A unique friendship between a man and a crocodile: nicknamed "Chito", Gilberto Shedden, a Costa Rican fisherman, and naturalist had an unusual friend: "Pocho", a huge crocodile longer than 5 meters (16 feet 5 inches), with a weight up to half a ton. However, we do know that President Adams did what any president should do: He lodged the gator in the White Houses unfinished East Room and its nearby bathtub. Photograph by Erin Scott / The White House via AP. Theres a little bit of The Dude in a lot of Jeff Bridges performances. Theodore Roosevelt, the 26th president, was famous for his many pets.His six kids had snakes, dogs, cats, a badger . In fact, most modern presidents have owned cats and dogs. MarketWatch photo illustration/iStockphoto, John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum/NARA, United States Library of Congress/Public Domain, no hard evidence that he ever actually said this, Joe Biden was named the winner of the 2020 election over Donald Trump, Joe and Jill Biden plan to bring their German shepherds Champ and Major with them to the White House, Why Major Biden becoming the first shelter dog in the White House is a big deal, whose family menagerie in the early 1960s, wasnt the last alligator to saunter into the White House, brought a flock of sheep to graze on the White House lawn, The U.S. housing market is crumbling under the weight of higher mortgage rates and rock-bottom affordability: Prices fell the most in these U.S. states, Am I crazy? After my mother died, my cousin took her designer purse, and my aunt took 8 paintings from her home then things really escalated. Even Crocodylus can turn out to be a great name for your pet! Source: White House Historical Association. Snopes and the Snopes.com logo are registered service marks of Snopes.com. Then in 2013, the Obamas brought home a second Portuguese water dog, Sunny. When he was elected president in 1830 he brought his pet parrot, Poll, with him and it seems the bird picked up some of the president's own salty vocabulary. When John Quincy Adams was a guest, he used a crocodile to scare them. Our U.S. presidents had all kinds of pets--lots of dogs and cats, of course--but they also had some very strange pets. And, lastly, here is our favorite alligators-in-the-White-House story, as told in 1890 (the second year of President Benjamin Harrison's term in office) by the Washington correspondent of theNew York Tribune, via the San Francisco Chronicle: Russell Harrison's Alligator Didn't Influence His Friends' Luck. 1922. January 17, 2019 4:07 AM EST. Boyd: Q. 14 April 1997. "A poignant coming-of-age tale with a compelling mystery at its heart." A. Which president had the most pets? It also records that both the alligator among other things he gives he got while traveling were stored in the east room of the white house. In turn, she provided raw milk (and possibly crippling diarrhea) to the first family for the last three years of Taft's presidency. President Barack Obama adopted Portuguese water dogs Bo and Sunny during his two terms, and he was often seen walking them on the White House lawn with his family. Taft was the fattest president to ever grace the White House. Theodore Roosevelt kept an alligator in the White House while he was president. . Yes, you read that rightthis . : The dog was a Portuguese water dog that they named Bo. However, Grant's favorite pet of all was his dog Rosie, who he reportedly talked to while he ate. Or when President Calvin Coolidge (1923-1929) was given a raccoon to be served at Thanksgiving dinner in November 1926, he pardoned it and adopted it, instead. Who exactly supplied the ram with the cigarette butts and black lumps of chewing tobacco is up for discussion, but at a time when the stuff was being handed out to kids on Halloween, it couldn't have been too hard to come by. President Zachary Taylor, 1849-1850 . "John Quincy Adams's Pet Alligator Was a Crock." Related:Why Major Biden becoming the first shelter dog in the White House is a big deal, But some earlier presidents seriously threatened to turn 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. into an actual zoo, based on information at the Presidential Pet Museum, a collection of presidential pet memorabilia located outside of Baltimore. Please whitelist in order to read our content as well as support our work. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consecte adipi. Marquis de Lafayette was a French general who played an important part during the Revolutionary War. The raccoon was also leashed a few times. And Calvin Coolidge, the 30th president, had a raccoon named Rebecca that walked on a leash! The college authorities had an argument with the poet, but . 5. Theodore Roosevelt, the 26th president, was famous for his many pets. Spotty, the English springer spaniel of President George W. Bush, runs through the White House lawn with a tennis ball. There was an error retrieving your Wish Lists. His father wouldn't move into the White House until 1929. President Thomas Jefferson (1801-1809) had . Benjamin Harrison kept a goat, Rutherford Hayes kept a Siamese cat, and Teddy Roosevelt had a zoo as unusual pets for presidents. Van Buren argued that they had been given to him and that he wanted to keep them. At this time, according to the statutes of the college, dogs were not allowed to be kept on the college grounds. . Access codes and supplements are not guaranteed with used items. President Herbert Hoovers (1929-1933) younger son Allan had two pet gators in the early 1930s, which actually roamed on the White House grounds. The pet, a gift from the Marquis de Lafayette, took up residence in the unfinished second floor of the president's bedroom. What is the Significance of Luck in Japan? He has had it for 20 years. The newest White House pet is Willow the cat . Other presidents have bought farmyard animals to live on the grounds of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue: Woodrow Wilson had a flock of sheep, and JFK's daughter had a pony. James Garfield who was the 20th American president had an all-black Newfoundland dog, named Veto. Whatever the case, Adams certainly knew just what to do with the reptiles: He put them in the White House bathtub, then invited government officials to his place. Firestone believed the pygmy hippo would make a wonderful gift for President Coolidge, already a collector of strange and exotic pets. Among those to whom Russell Harrison exhibited his pets during the races now in progress at Bennings were W.J. Save. Residents of the White House have had fur and feathers, claws and hooves, scales, stripes and prehensile tails. Bush, was also president. A keen observation from a serious explorer who can't spell worth shit: This was an animal not to be trifled with. which president had a pet crocodile. Or find out about some adorable animals that can totally kick your ass in The 6 Cutest Animals That Can Still Destroy You. A MediaComms.IO company. After having hid Pocho in a covered pond nearby for some time, Chito tried to release the animal back into the wildbut Pocho refused to leave! Find all the books, read about the author, and more. Cranky. Nixons second dog, a Yorkshire Terrier named Pasha, was frequently spotted walking alongside Nixon on a daily basis. Two dogs and two cats were necessary, and among the transitory possessions were two ducks which he trained to sit on the front porch to the infinite entertainment of passers-by. Among them were a pair of mongrel dogs named Juno and Satan, and a horse named Cleopatra. Parenthetically, our research uncovered at least two other reported instances of alligators taking up residency in the executive mansion, both predating the Hoover story. mrsfarleyf26. 6 . Actually, make food a whole lot better too. President Harry S. Truman is often credited with saying, You want a friend in Washington, buy a dog. But while theres no hard evidence that he ever actually said this, one thing is certain: most American presidents have kept animal companions while living in the White House. One broke free and managed to corner the museum owner in the kitchen, upon which the animal was promptly shot dead. Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them. It is believed that he stored the alligator in the east room bathtub of the White House. Finding no sources cited in the article, we decided to look into both stories for ourselves, beginning with the tale of Gen. Lafayette re-gifting an alligator to John Quincy Adams. Deasy Tuwo, who ran a . 3. The animal had been sent to the White House from Tennessee to be part of the first family's Thanksgiving meal. Jensen, Amy La Follette. Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum. Will you climb mountains and cross deserts to save the Sheriffs horse? During his presidency, Richard Nixon had three dogs: Irish King Timahoe, Yorkshire Terrier Pasha, and French Bulldog Vicky. The largest and toothiest of these are the alligators of not one, but two, presidents. The tradition of pets in the White House, especially dogs, is well-established.President Barack Obama had Bo, a Portuguese water dog. Crocky. Pauline Wayne was quite the heifer herself, although how the Holstein got the name Pauline Wayne is unknown. Still, badgers are fierce little bastards and one wonders how the little girl was able to even get a hold of one, let alone hurl it at a passing Theodore Roosevelt as his train pulled out of some backwater train station in Kansas. They included a lion and a zebra (which were sent directly to the National Zoological Park); Bill the hyena (which sources said did live at the White House for a time, and was sometimes fed scraps from the table); a black bear named Jonathan Edwards; and a coyote. Finally, Old Whiskers decided he'd towed the bratty grandkids for the last fucking time. Meet Thomas Jefferson's mockingbird, Dick, who ate from the president's mouth; Warren Harding's dog, Laddie Boy, who was served a birthday cake made of dog biscuits; and Teddy Roosevelt's pony, Algonquin, who rode up the White House elevator. Reviewed in the United States on July 25, 2018, Reviewed in the United States on June 24, 2013. That aligns with the roughly 85 million U.S. families who own a pet, which makes up 67% of American households, according to the 2019-2020 National Pet Owners Survey from the American Pet Products Association. Here's how that story was synopsized in a 1997 syndicated trivia column by L.M. President Martin Van Buren (1837-1841) was given a pair of tiger cubs by the Sultan of Oman, but Congress confiscated them. Accessed 19 February 2018. First Lady Louisa Adams also kept silkworms, and she harvested their silk for her personal sewing. as well as other partner offers and accept our, SEBASTIAN WILLNOW/DDP/AFP via Getty Images, Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. Hey, fast food chains Stick to food. Suspendisse ultrices hendrerit a vitae vel a sodales. History, Fun. Crocodiles are one of the most feared animals in the world. The boys would tie carts or kitchen chairs to the goats and race them around the White House, sometimes interrupting formal receptions. The cubs spent two months in a cage on public view on the White Houses front lawn until Jeffersons friend Charles Peale was able to take them to be part of his growing natural history museum in Philadelphia. Florida Alligator Will Be White House Pet. Look inside to find your favorite pet. Please try again. Wide Awake (Vol. Well, the grandkids used Old Whiskers as a work horse, tying a harness and miniature stagecoach to the goat who would then pull the kids around the lawn of the White House. Among Calvin Coolidges animals were bobcats, wallabys, pygmy hippos, bears, and raccoons. He was given the alligator by the Smithsonian Institution and kept it in a bathtub in the White House. Among the best-loved was a raccoon called Rebecca. Formerly a Union general and Civil War hero, President Ulysses S. Grant was one of the most prolific pet owners in White House history. He owned a gamecock, a parrot, several dogs, and a bevy of horses and ponies. Unauthorized use is prohibited. Needless to say, the bears were good and pissed off upon arrival. Some were given exotic pets by foreign dignitaries, with President John Quincy Adams keeping an alligator in a bathtub. So, not only did he spread his seed across a large chunk of the globe, but he lived until 1955 outliving Coolidge by 23 years. An Australian man's pet crocodile in the Northern Territory ate his beloved dog after she spent a decade tormenting it, and onlookers watched in horror. Well aware of the animal's temperament, Jefferson decided to keep the cubs anyway, describing them as "perfectly gentle" with a taste for "Indian bread" and possibly Indians, too. That was Herbert Hoover's son, Allan, according to the historical footnotes. Main Menu. And so, Old Ike kept watch over his flock and swallowed copious amounts of tobacco. The author was able to properly name every president except the current one. : Allie. So where did she get it? Jeffersons favorite pet was his mockingbird named Dick, however, which would often perch on the presidents shoulder. Our website offers a wealth of information on all things reptilian, from care and husbandry tips to in-depth articles on the natural history of these amazing creatures. What ensued was a wild goat chase down Pennsylvania Avenue, involving the grandchildren and the president himself, clutching his top hat and holding his cane as his constituents pointed and laughed. : All rights reserved. A fisherman who rescued a crocodile 22 years ago before taming it is now trying to train another after his 'pet' sadly passed away. The person is completely at ease even as the reptile moves closer to him. But the timespan from when it would have happened to when she wrote about it and the utter lack of corroborating accounts are too much to ignore. The Clintons had Socks the cat and Buddy the Labrador retriever; George H.W. It is not until the late President Franklin D. Roosevelt that the bizarre pet fad swept the country. The raccoon was later named Rebecca, and the first lady, Grace, would walk her on a bedazzled leash. The wool was auctioned to raise money for the American Red Cross, a group that helps people in emergencies. She threw an actual badger at President Theodore Roosevelt. A herd of sheep graze on the White House lawn during Woodrow Wilson's presidency. Overall, this book does a great job of capturing kids' attention and giving them a story to read that will keep them excited for multiple times. Brief content visible, double tap to read full content. He was a close friend of Nixon and was frequently spotted walking and traveling with him. There's a wee grain of truth in that (as we learned from theblogof the Herbert Hoover Library and Museum), but the fact is that Hoover's son, who graduated from Stanford University the same year his father was elected and went straight from there to Harvard Business School, never resided at the White House. Copyright 1996-2015 National Geographic Society, Copyright 2015-2023 National Geographic Partners, LLC. Presidential pets have bounded back into the conversation this week after Joe Biden was named the winner of the 2020 election over Donald Trump by the Associated Press and other major U.S. news organizations. In all, she gave birth to 15 of his children. As an official gift, Obama was given crocodile insurance, which would have paid out A$50,000 to his wife, Michelle, if the president had been attacked by a crocodile. She was a gift from a Wisconsin senator who presumably thought the always hungry president would slaughter the cow and invite him over for steaks on the grill. Woodrow Wilson kept sheep on the White House grounds to help with lawn care during his presidency.